Coexistence
by Andi1978
Summary: AU. Padme lives. After waking up from a 3 year coma, she finds her life utterly changed without her consent. On Tattooine, little Luke and Obi-Wan's lives are also forever changed, forcing all 3 into an unusual situation.
1. Chapter 1

Her eyelids feel heavy, so, so heavy. She doesn't know why they feel so heavy. She doesn't want to open them, but at the same time she does. She still smells ash. Ash and smoke seem to be permanently embedded into her nostrils. However, as her awareness continues to grow, she realizes that it's not smoke, but rather cold and sterile air she's breathing. Medbay, she's in a medbay. Why? Memories start to come together - Anakin, Mustafar. Anakin. He had choked her. That was the last thing she remembered. Had he come to his senses finally? Or had Obi-Wan killed him? What about her babies? She had wanted to surprise Anakin with the fact that they were having twins, but he had been so distant and worried about her.

Opening her eyes and squinting in the dim light, she tried to focus, but everything looked blurry. She looked down, and saw that her belly was flat. Flat! Where were her babies? Had Anakin been killed and the Jedi absconded with them? Worse, had Anakin somehow prevailed and given them over to Palpatine? Had they died during Anakin's attack on her, only for her to barely survive? The monitors next to her started to beep hurriedly as people rushed into the room, speaking to her, but she couldn't hear the words. All she knew was her all-consuming terror.

Eventually something calmed her, she didn't know what. Her eyes finally focused on one of the people in front of her. Dorme. Her handmaiden. Dorme. A familiar face. Thousands of questions tried to form on her lips, but all she could let out was a horrible croak.

"Peace, my lady. Please, have some water. Slowly now, slowly."

She followed Dorme's instructions, sipping slowly, feeling as if she hadn't had a drink in years. She needed to calm down and be patient. Focusing on the water first, she did that and felt her heart rate come down, her brain start to focus. Memories started to drift back in. She remembered now - her babies, Luke and Leia, had been born. She didn't remember where, but she remembered Obi-Wan being there, she remembered naming them, and most of all, she remembered feeling like something was sucking the life of her against her own will. The last thing she remembered was Obi-Wan's tear-streaked face as she'd lost consciousness.

"Dorme. Babies?" She croaked. A little stronger, but still weak. Stars, it felt like she hadn't used her voice in years as well. At least things were starting to feel a little clearer.

Dorme took the glass from her hand and set it on the table next to her, trying to gauge how to tell her lady what all had transpired during her long sleep. She carefully took Padme's hand and gave her a sad look, trying to determine what to tell her. She had replayed this moment in her head over and over again and practiced what she would tell her over and over as well, but the reality was much more difficult than even she had envisioned.

"They are safe, my lady. You had us all very very worried."

This was a non-answer, meant to assuage the immediate fears, to soften the coming blow. Padme steeled herself, fearing the worst. Dorme continued: "Luke was taken by Obi-Wan to a safe location, one which I am not privy to for safety reasons. Leia was adopted by Bail Organa. In fact, that is where we are right now - Alderaan."

Padme continued to try to breathe evenly, even though her heart felt as if it had stopped. They had not only taken her twins from her without her consent, but had split them up as well. She was on Alderaan. She would need to speak to Bail as soon as she was able to get her bearings again. She filed that thought away for the time being. She knew there was more coming, and decided to get it all over with at once: "What about Palpatine? Is he looking for me? The children?"

Dorme bit her lip, looking down for a second and collecting herself. She didn't want to overwhelm Padme with all this information at once, but she felt like it was cruel to just drag it out. Best just to lay it all out and let Padme come to terms with it on her own. It was the right thing to do. Anything less than total honesty, and she didn't think about how Padme would react.

"As far as the Galaxy is concerned, you are dead, and your child with you. I offered my services to Bail Organa at your funeral, since I thought you were gone, and he was one of your dearest friends. He took me in to help look after Leia, to give me a purpose, as well as to let me in on what had occurred. I have spent most of my time looking after Leia, and the rest hoping you would awake."

Padme was stunned to say the least. Her funeral? Her death faked without her consent? Her children taken and given away, by people who were supposed to be her closest friends no less? Anger gave way to another sudden, horrible realization. What if they had given her time to awaken and she hadn't in time to give consent? She knew that if Anakin or Palpatine had any suspicions of her survival, they never would have stopped looking for her, or her child. This was why the twins were split - neither Anakin or Palpatine knew. If one was found, at least the other would be safe. The horror she felt at the realization that such pragmatic measures had to be taken in her absence started to tear at her heart. She had to know now, how long had she been out?

"3 years, my lady," came the reply. She didn't realize she had voiced the question aloud. She sat, numb, for what seemed like hours, absorbing everything she had just been told. Her babies probably had no knowledge of her - someone else had seen their first steps, heard their first words, hear their first laugh. She shook her head - it couldn't be! She dared to look up into Dorme's eyes, only to see confirmation in her friend's tear-filled eyes. "I'm so sorry, my lady."

She needed time to think, that's what she needed. Time to sort everything out. Dorme seemed to realize this, or most likely have been prepared for this reaction. She gently squeezed Padme's hand and quietly walked out of the room, leaving Padme to herself. She looked over at the machinery, next to her, and saw the date. If nothing else, that had confirmed it - it was in Galactic Imperial years. Palpatine had made sure that even the dating system was changed. That kind of attention to detail only served to make her angrier and angrier, tears of frustration coming to her eyes.

She started to go over everything that had occurred in her life, and all she could see now was betrayal by a man who had pretended to be her mentor, using her to propel himself to power. She stifled a sob, not wanting anyone to come into the room again. She thought about how that man had had his claws into her husband before he'd come back into her life again, and how he'd had access to him and probably knew him better than even she did. She didn't have the Force, but she wondered now if Palpatine could've somehow been responsible for her husband's visions. Anything was possible.

None of these questions would get any answers anytime soon, and she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to know what they would be anyway. However, she knew that she needed to speak to Bail Organa. The tears that had threatened earlier finally did come, and she let them. Let them come now, and not while she was speaking to the man who was raising her child. She vaguely registered Dorme coming back in and taking her into her arms. She let her, and let out all her sadness in a cleansing cry that was long overdue.


	2. Chapter 2

Obi-Wan Kenobi was in Mos Eisley, as he was every three weeks since the start of his exile. This was the safest way to get information on what was occurring in the Galaxy at large. He couldn't go there too frequently, but not so infrequently that it became suspicious. He needed to be seen, yet unseen. Seen as something familiar, yet harmless. Part of the background and not worthy of notice. This approach had served him well for the past 3 years. He had just gotten a drink of water at a cantina and was using the Force to eavesdrop on the two patrons to his left, the word "Empire" having caught his attention.

"Yeah, not sure why they're coming here. Got no business here as far as we know."

"They're not searching anyone here, right?"

"Nah, it's only about 20 of them or so. They're asking questions about farms around the area. Still, better to keep quiet until they leave."

That was all Obi-Wan needed to hear. Had they somehow found him or Luke? Horrified, but keeping his outward composure, he finished his drink, left a tip for the bartender, and walked out of the cantina as he normally would. Once he got into his speeder and had left the city proper, he pushed it to its limits, heading straight for the Lars farm, hoping he wasn't too late. Luckily, it looked like no one was there, save for Owen Lars, who saw him coming and looked none too pleased about it.

"Owen," he began, forestalling any complaints the man might have, "the Empire is here."

Owen froze for a moment, and then bellowed: "What?! I thought you said they didn't care about Tattooine! How do you know this anyway?"

"I was in Mos Eisley getting some supplies when I overheard two gentlemen speaking about an Imperial presence. They also said that they were asking questions about farms. I don't know what they want, but it's imperative that you, Beru, and Luke leave the vicinity immediately. It is not safe."

"The hell I'm doing any such thing!" He yelled.

"Owen, please let the man inside. If what he's saying is true, then we must prepare accordingly." Both men were startled at Beru's sudden appearance with Luke at her side. They must've been louder than they thought.

"I don't know how much time we have. Please, just come with me, I can keep you safe until they leave", Obi-Wan all but begged. The Force was warning him now, it wouldn't be too long until they arrived.

"No. Out of the question. This is my home, and no one will take that from me. They have no reason and no right to. This is probably all because of you anyway," Owen dug in stubbornly.

Beru came to a decision and brought Luke forward towards Obi-Wan: "Take him and keep him safe. I will try to talk some sense into Owen."

"It'll all be over nothing, you'll see. You better have him back here before dark!" Owen at least relented that far. Obi-Wan felt that time was running out, and that this was as good as it was going to get for now. He left without another word, taking the silent child with him into the speeder.

As he drove off as quickly as he could, he had a sinking feeling that Owen's stubbornness would be his end. He only hoped he'd hold his tongue around the Stormtroopers. Once he arrived at his hut, he took Luke in with him, who still hadn't said a word. The child sat in the corner, and watched him with wary but not hostile eyes. He didn't know how much the boy could understand, but he seemed to realize that this was a serious situation. Obi-Wan didn't know how much of it was his Force-sensitivity, or if this was just an instinct that all small children seemed to possess.

The foreboding feeling in the Force built, but now he could tell it was not aimed at him, or Luke, for that matter. And he suddenly understood. Palpatine hadn't known about him or Luke, but he was seeking to erase all traces of Anakin Skywalker. He knew that Anakin's mother was buried there at the farm, and any and all connections to her must be severed if he was to truly make Vader his own. It all made a sick kind of sense, and he wondered how Master Yoda couldn't have foreseen this, why he had been so sure that the Sith wouldn't be interested in Tattooine. The error seemed to be in focusing on Anakin, rather Vader, as opposed to Palpatine. They knew about Anakin's past and his bad memories here, so they would've been safe from Vader. But, Palpatine had always been one step ahead of them, and he would've made his move earlier if he hadn't been so busy trying to solidify his Empire during its infancy. Obi-Wan considered himself lucky that events had transpired the way that they did, and wondered if there was a Skywalker curse that brought pain and heartache to everyone who cared about them.

He stopped his uncharitable thoughts as he looked over in the direction of the little boy. A little boy who had done nothing wrong, save exist. He was deadly quiet, and Obi-Wan had no doubt he felt the same sense of _bad_ , for lack of a better word, that he did. After what seemed like forever, the feeling dissipated, and Obi-Wan knew that the farmers were dead. Through no fault of their own, they had been targeted by the Empire, simply for existing, and being tied to someone else and their bad decisions. He looked back at Luke, who was squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

Luke looked right at him and said: "I needa go peepee."

Obi-Wan showed him to the fresher in due haste and wondered whether the Force had a sense of humor or not, that the Galaxy's future savior had chosen those words to speak to him first.

Once he was done, he came out and asked: "We gonna go home?" Then, "Sir", added quickly, as if he realized he had used bad manners.

"It's Ben, young one. And no, unfortunately not, it is too dangerous at this time. There are bad people there right now."

"Unca Owen's tough!" Luke exclaimed, offended that Ben had impugned his Uncle's honor. "He take care of bad guys." He declared very solemnly.

"I'm sure he is very tough," Obi-Wan soothed, "but we don't want the bad people to hurt you or for your uncle to be distracted, do we?"

"Ok", he said dubiously. Obi-Wan wasn't sure just how much the child understood really. He probably only felt that that bad feeling was gone now, not realizing that he had no home anymore. Or at least, not the one he had. He didn't understand death yet either, too young to truly comprehend it. He had no idea he would never see his guardians again.

Obi-Wan sighed and turned on the holo, finding a children's station, which surprised and delighted his little guest. Letting the boy settle on the floor cross-legged and enraptured by some silly singing creatures, Obi-Wan let out another sigh and sat down with his face in his palms.

He was sure that they could not stay here any longer. The fact that Palpatine had taken notice of the planet was bad enough. If Vader ever got word of what had occurred here, there was a chance he'd come to see for himself. There was also the possibility that the Empire meant to establish some kind of foothold here, however small. Either way, it wasn't safe for him or Luke anymore. He decided to wait until Luke was asleep, and then he would contact Bail Organa. If all went according to plan, they would wait it out a few days and make sure the Empire was gone. Then, he and Luke would try to find refuge somewhere else. Hopefully, somewhere where Palpatine truly wouldn't have any interest.


	3. Chapter 3

Bail Organa was truly a man besieged. On his way back from Coruscant, things seemed to have simultaneously exploded. Through his contacts, he discovered that the doctor that had initially treated Darth Vader was assassinated. No doubt to make sure that he could not reveal Darth Vader's true identity. Bail wondered who else that knew had been eliminated recently. As far as he knew, only he, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Palpatine, Vader himself, Dorme, and Padme knew the truth.

Kenobi's message about the attack on the Lars farm came not longer after the information on the doctor's death. Bail was relieved that Obi-Wan and Luke were okay, but the scope of death being dealt on account of Vader's identity was truly mind-blowing. He doubted Obi-Wan had even told the Lars the truth. It would have been too dangerous, and they might have even rejected taking the child in. Not that it mattered, it seemed that any and all beings tied to Anakin Skywalker were being eliminated. He wondered why this was occurring now, as opposed to earlier, not quite sure that he was entirely comfortable with Obi-Wan's theory of it finally being feasible. At least they were in a position to be able to do something about it, which was the only good thing he could see coming out of this situation. He was going to arrange transport to Dantooine for Obi-Wan and Luke. As far as he knew, the Empire was not interested in the quiet farm world, and there were no ties to Anakin Skywalker to be found.

Speaking of ties to Anakin Skywalker - Padme had chosen to finally wake from her coma. He was simultaneously glad and terrified at the same time. He had no doubt that Dorme had filled her in on what had occurred, and he wondered just how angry she would be. For, by the time he got back, she would have had enough time to process quite a bit. How did she feel about him raising her daughter? Would she try to fight for her? She had to know that having been declared dead legally, and her daughter being legally adopted, there was really no way to do so. He felt terrible for thinking these things, but he truly loved that little girl as if she were his own flesh and blood. He also hoped that she realized that it was done in everyone's best interests, and that it needed to continue to be this way, if only not to arouse suspicion. Especially now with Palpatine acting in clean-up mode. He would have to make sure that he was above reproach in any and all things. No suspicion could be had towards Alderaan, for it would be devastating otherwise. He would play dumb and avoid Vader like the plague, but not obviously so. And the only way to truly do that would be not to attract the attention of the Sith in the first place. Alderaan must be seen as being loyal to the Empire.

He sighed and looked at the chrono. One more hour, and he would be back home. He would greet his family and catch up on anything needing his immediate attention in the Palace. After that, he would speak with Padme. He needed time himself to absorb all that had occurred and how he was going to approach his friend. If she even still considered herself his friend after this.

Padme was feeling much better three days after awakening. Dorme had informed her that Bail would be coming by later today. In the meantime, she had begun to stretch and move around as much as she could. Dorme had truly been a blessing - she had massaged Padme's muscles and arranged for electrotherapy so that they wouldn't atrophy. She didn't even want to think about what kind of state she would be in if Dorme hadn't taken care of her the way she did. For all that her world had fallen apart, at least she had one stalwart friend she could count on. She understood why the other handmaidens had not been told of her survival. Some of them had been found dead, under questionable circumstances. Yane and Motee were dead. Yane had just given birth to a little girl, and she and the little girl both had perished in a house fire. The authorities had initially called it arson, and then ruled it accidental. No details were given in Motee's case. It was treated as an open-ended case, but there were no details at all whatsoever. Padme only hoped the rest of them were safe or in hiding, having disappeared without a trace.

She had morbidly watched her own funeral and cried after seeing her broken-hearted family members. Unfortunately, she knew she could not contact them and let them know she was alive. Dorme informed her that the Naberrie family was banned from taking any public office due to Padme's "scandal". No doubt Palpatine had arranged that as well. She was under no illusions as to what their current living conditions would be. They were probably being monitored every single second of every single day of their lives. If they believed her dead, then they would be better off.

Padme finished braiding her hair. She had been practicing finger dexterity, since she had found her hands to be unbearably weak since waking up. She had braided and rebraided her hair several times that day, and now her hands ached but felt stronger. She also found that it relaxed her nerves as well. She never expected that she would be nervous at the prospect of speaking to Bail Organa. Truth was, she didn't know how to approach him now, or how he would approach her. Everything had changed so much, and while everyone else's life had gone on for the past 3 years, to her, the Empire had come into existence just days ago.

She tried to walk around a little bit, then decided to move the holo pictures off of her bed and onto the side table. Dorme had brought her several holos of her little Leia that spanned the last 3 years, and she had spent all of yesterday looking at them. She alternated between pride, sadness, and joy at different times, and sometimes experienced different emotions upon looking at the same holo and having noticed something else she hadn't before. Her little girl was beautiful - she had the Naberrie coloring, but she could see Anakin's features in there. The shape of the nose, the shape of the face, the set of the eyes. However, her eyes were much larger than either hers or Anakin's. She didn't remember her eyes being that large in any of her baby pictures either. It didn't matter - she was perfect, and she looked happy. Even if it wasn't her providing that happiness, at least she knew her little girl was being taken care of.

Dorme came in and announced that Senator Organa was here. "Please let him in", she said more strongly than she felt. She stood as straight as she could and waited for her good friend to come in.

Bail strode in quietly and as nervous-looking as she felt. She didn't think she had ever seen him look like this. They stared awkwardly at each other for a few moments, before he broke out into a genuine smile. "I am so glad to see you up and again, my friend."

Padme felt a small smile make it onto her face as well. Yes, it was awkward, but that didn't stop her from being glad to see him as well. "Thank you for all you have done, Bail. Truly. And know that I am not angry with you for what was done. My family still lives and is safe due to your actions, and I can never thank you enough for that", she stated honestly, taking one of his hands in both of hers.

"It was the least I could do, Padme. I wish we could have consulted with you, but we had no time, and the situation was dire. Please know that I would never presume to have taken control of your life if I'd have known that there was any possibility that you could have done so yourself. The doctors were convinced you would never wake up, but I knew that you were too much of a fighter."

"Thank you again, Bail", she said, trying to keep tears from spilling out. She knew he never would have done anything to hurt her. The true scope of all he had done for her and her family took away any anger she might have had for him. He had done the best he could with a horrible situation that he had no control over. "Also, thank you for taking care of Leia. Dorme showed me some holos. She looks beautiful, happy, and well-loved." She was trying her hardest to be gracious and show him that it was ok, and that she wouldn't fight him for Leia. Not because she _couldn't,_ but because she knew it was not the right thing to do, especially at this time.

Bail let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and dipped his head, understanding the enormity of the gift she was truly giving him now. He realized she wasn't happy with the situation, but she was willing to allow him the privilege of keeping his little girl after all. Things had obviously changed between them, but they weren't going to be as bad as any of his worst case scenarios. And that filled him with relief. It didn't take away the sadness or the awfulness away, but things were at least looking up a little.

That out of the way, he and Padme got caught up on all the political changes that had occurred. She was horrified to know of the fate of Kashykk and the enslavement of non-humans that was accelerating daily. If she ever had any doubts that her Anakin was still there, they were gone. Anakin would _never_ have been involved with or approved of any kind of slavery. Once again, she cursed Palpatine, and herself, and the Jedi Order. But most of all, she cursed Anakin. To think that he would have done any of this for _her_ was revolting. She didn't know if Bail or any of the Jedi were aware of why Anakin had turned, but if they didn't, she definitely didn't want them to know now.

Once Bail had told her of the latest developments, including the doctor's death and the attack on the Lars farm, she had gasped in horror. "Obi-Wan and Luke are fine, Padme. I'm having them taken to Dantooine, to try and hide out there", he assuaged.

Padme now knew what she needed to do. "I will go there as well then", she stated, knowing in her heart and mind that it was the right thing to do.

"Are you sure? We could keep you here, hidden. It might be safer for you."

"No. It wouldn't. And if I was ever discovered here, you and everyone here would pay the price for it. It is not safe for me to be here, not this close to the Core, not when there's any chance that Palpatine or Anak - Vader could sense me", she added, catching herself.

"And what about Obi-Wan and Luke? Should you be found with them?"

"Something tells me that this needs to happen. My son has lost his guardians. The Jedi helped turn my husband into what he is. Don't get me wrong, Bail - the Jedi did not deserve their fate, but they were not blameless in what happened either. I will _not_ have my son raised like that, being told he has no right to have any emotions. He will get a choice as to whether he wants to choose that path or not, like you are giving my daughter a choice. I will also not have my son used as a pawn or a weapon to fight a war that they lost. I'm sorry if this sounds cruel, but if I have to be in hiding, I might as well do it where I will do some good. If I cannot be in public view, then I at least need to make sure that my son is raised properly", she stated confidently.

Bail mulled over her words, and then realized there wasn't much he could do about it. Once Padme Amidala's mind was made up, there was no stopping her. And as much as he was a friend of the Jedi, it wasn't like he didn't have his own reservations about what little he knew of their code. He had always felt sorry for little Luke Skywalker, knowing that he had left the boy to that fate. But, he couldn't have taken the child anyway. He could only do what was right by the one he was gifted as it was. The Jedi could easily have taken one twin each and not told him where they had disappeared to.

"Very well, I'll arrange transport for you to go to Dantooine and have you meet with Obi-Wan and Luke. I can get you a new identity as well, just let me know what name you would like to use from here on out. Any supplies or anything else you can think you will require, let me know, and I will gladly provide it for you", he stated warmly. His conscience was eased now, knowing both twins would now at least have loving homes for sure.

"Thank you, Bail. I would only request that I be able to take Dorme with me for a while, until I get settled in, if that would be alright with you", she said in relief.

"Consider it done."


	4. Chapter 4

The trip to Dantooine was taking longer than she even thought possible. She and Dorme were flying in a comfortable, four-passenger, non-descript shuttle. They had taken public transport off of Alderaan to Corellia and then taken the shuttle Bail had waiting there for them. Padme had cut her hair to shoulder-length and wore green eye contacts to disguise her appearance some. She wore minimal to no make-up and had acquired several nondescript items of clothing that were more suitable to a modest traveler. She only had a few items, she figured she could do some more shopping to blend in later, once she got the lay of the land. She was thankful that she had set up some secret bank accounts over the years, this way there was a way to access credits until she was able to get settled in. She also did not want to be living off of Bail, mostly due to her innate sense of independence, and also to ensure that there was no way of tracking him to her, should she be discovered.

Dorme had been handling the flying, since she was too nervous to do it, and since she also had not trusted herself to be able to stay awake for long enough to devote her full attention to piloting, if necessary. For someone who had spent the last 3 years asleep, she was awfully tired all the time. She found herself starting to nod off at the oddest times. Dorme assured her that this was natural, she hadn't been expending any energy for years, and now she was trying to jump back as if nothing had happened. While her mind logically understood what was happening, her emotional side hated her body for what it was doing to her. If she was to succeed at being a farmer, she would need to get her energy back, and soon.

She was nervous about meeting her little son as well. How would he receive her? Would he even understand what was happening or who he was to her? What did he look like now? She had gotten to see plenty of holos of Leia and hear stories about her from both Dorme and Bail. She had a pretty good idea of her little girl's personality, and she was amazed at what a combination of Anakin and herself she was. She hoped that Bail would have a better time with her temper than Obi-Wan had had with Anakin's, since that was something she had clearly inherited from her father. She dared not tell Bail that, since it seemed like he was in denial of her paternity. She only hoped that Leia being raised in a comfortable and well-balanced household full of love would keep her from ever going down her father's dark path.

Lastly, she was most nervous about seeing Obi-Wan again. She had forgiven Bail for what had transpired. Mostly because he had had her children's best interests in mind, as well as her family's. Things that she knew the Jedi hadn't thought of. She wondered if it was out of ignorance, spite, or just because they were only thinking of the children and what they meant for the future and nothing else. There also wasn't much Bail could've done against two Jedi, should he have disagreed with their course of action. He had chosen her daughter, and was raising her well. As much as it pained her to have to let go of her daughter, at least she knew she was truly cared for and loved. She was also secretly terrified that Obi-Wan would take her son and try to raise him himself as a true Jedi, and she hated that she felt that way. She hoped he wouldn't try to deny her her son once they met.

She vacillated on how she felt about Obi-Wan. She wanted to be angry at him for not having seen what Anakin was going through - after all, he had seen him and spent more time with him than she had. On the other hand, she hadn't been able to do anything to stop Anakin from going down his path either. She had suggested telling Obi-Wan the truth and asking for his help, but Anakin had shot that down emphatically. She wondered what would've happened had she gone behind Anakin's back and gone to Obi-Wan anyway. It probably would've somehow worked out to Palpatine's favor, she realized. He had so isolated her husband that he had shut everyone out except for Palpatine. She couldn't blame Obi-Wan for that, especially since he truly wasn't Anakin's keeper since he had been knighted. She could fault him for not realizing what Palpatine was, and she could blame the entire Jedi Order for that. She could also fault them for putting him in the position of go-between and making him be even closer to Palpatine while simultaneously more distrustful of those around him.

On the other hand, if there was anyone who had lost more than she had, it was Obi-Wan. He had truly lost _everything_. His home, the only family he had ever known, his entire way of life. It would be a lot easier for her to adapt to a new life than it would be for him. She still remembered living in the mountains prior to moving to Theed and working with the community to keep things going. She knew how to interact with real people. For as charming as Obi-Wan could be, she also wondered just how well he could do that. She knew she had changed greatly since she'd last seen him, and she wondered how he had changed. She would be finding out soon enough, as the alert went off letting them know that they were approaching their destination. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was time.

They arrived at the address given to them and looked up at the modest building warily.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Dorme?" Padme asked. It was a plain multi-story hotel, but it just didn't look like the type of dwelling anyone she knew should be associated with.

"Yes my lady, see for yourself", she handed over the datapad. Padme scrunched her nose and sighed.

"Very well then, let's go in and see for ourselves".

They took the lift to the fifth floor, ignoring the running children in the hallways. This was clearly where people stopped off by one of the only spaceports on the entire planet. Since this was mostly a rural planet, these people were most likely leaving, rather than coming.

"Children! Inside! Now! You cannot act like that indoors! When we move to the city…" the lecture from the mother trailed off as the children entered the room and the door slid shut.

Dorme and Padme exchanged a glance. While Padme had been assured that Obi-Wan and Luke had only been here for two days, that seemed like entirely too long to be living in these conditions. They finally found the door and rang the bell.

"Is it tea-time already?" A cultured voice they'd recognize anywhere asked the code question.

"Yes sir. Green or black, take your pick", Padme responded. The door slid open to reveal a disheveled Obi-Wan Kenobi. Either her disguise was working better than expected, or he was so exhausted as to not have noticed who she was. She suspected it was the latter. She only hoped it was due to the situation overall, and not due to any bad behavior from her son. She and Dorme walked in carefully, taking in the surroundings. The holo was on, and on the only bed in the room was a little blond boy, who watched the newcomers with cautious interest.

Obi-Wan sat next to Luke on the bed and beckoned the guests over to the two chairs on the side of the bed. Only then did he notice Dorme. Then he looked at Padme again, and she had to stifle a laugh at seeing his eyes bug out in such a way. She didn't even know Obi-Wan was capable of making such an expression. "My lady, it is quite the surprise to see you", he said, utterly stunned.

She couldn't tell if he was glad or not to see her or not. Obviously she wasn't the only one that felt ambivalent about seeing each other again. "Anna, please", she responded, holding out her hand. He shook it in a daze, trying to process what he was seeing.

Padme gave him a few moments to compose himself and took the the time to study him, as he was her. It had only been three years, but Obi-Wan looked like had aged ten. His hair was overlong and sprinkled with gray, his beard no longer neatly kept. He still had on the same robes she last remembered seeing him in. The worst part was the sadness she saw in his eyes. She had always loved the twinkle in them. No matter how impassive he had tried to look, his eyes had always given a softness to him that had charmed many individuals - of all species and genders. Now, all she saw was defeat and guilt.

While she had been absorbed with Obi-Wan, she hadn't noticed her little boy get off the bed and walk over, quietly studying her. She turned her attention to him now and gave him a small smile and a wave. He gave her a shy smile and a little tiny wave back, and then ducked back behind the bed, peeking out on occasion. She couldn't help but be charmed. He was so tiny, tiny even for a three year old. He had very light blond hair and the prettiest blue eyes. They were the color of Anakin's eyes, but with a pang, she realized they were shaped like _her_ father's. She saw her own nose and birthmark on his little face. She marveled at how much like his sister he was in this regard - a perfect blend of her and Anakin. If you had placed the children next to each other, no one would know that they were related, but you would be able to see both of the parents in each of them clearly.

Obi-Wan had come out of his stupor to watch this little exchange. He seemed to relax just a little, and spoke very softly to her little boy: "Would you like to introduce yourself, Luke?"

Luke's eyes went comically wide and he hesitated for a second before nodding vigorously and walking forward, eyes darting towards them and back to the floor.

"Hi, I'm Luke", he said shyly, and put his little hand out for Padme to shake.

She nearly melted at the sound of that sweet little voice. "Hi there, I'm Anna, and this is my friend Erica", she said, taking his little hand and shaking it gently.

"Hello", he said with a little smile, shaking Dorme's hand as well. From the looks of it, Dorme was charmed as well, and trying to hold back tears.

"Well, shall we then?" Obi-Wan broke the moment, apparently all too ready to leave this place, and Padme couldn't blame him. She just wondered about his sense of timing.

"Where we goin' Ben?" Luke asked a little worriedly.

"To our new home", he said honestly.

"With them?" Luke asked, pointing at Padme and Dorme.

"Yes, with us, at least for a little while. It's ok, Ben and I are friends. You'll be safe", Padme promised, heart breaking a little at the fear she could hear in her son's voice.

"This should be interesting", was Obi-Wan's dry reply.

Padme repressed a snort. _That_ was more like the Obi-Wan she remembered. She hoped they could keep the peace for a while. She knew their issues ran much deeper than Bail's and hers, and was not looking forward to airing them out any time soon. She had finally met her son, and she was going to focus on him, and being the best mother possible. After the entire mess that all of the adults had made of his life before he even took his first breath, he deserved at least that.


	5. Chapter 5

The ride back to the shuttle was uneventful. Luke at least seemed to be fascinated by everything going on and kept looking out of the speeder, craning his neck at things of interest - mostly trees. They finally got to the shuttle and boarded while Dorme took the speeder back to the rental agency about a block away. As they waited, Obi-Wan cajoled Luke into going "peepee" before they strapped in, since they didn't know how long it would be before he could go again.

Padme smiled as her son huffed and dutifully went into the fresher. "Does this happen often?"

"He's recently discovered that he can have just about as much water as he wants, so the inevitable result is…" he gestured at the fresher.

Padme laughed, startling herself a little in the process. How long had it been since she had laughed? _What a depressing thought._ She mentally shook herself and asked: "How has he been for you?"

"Honestly, quite easy. I don't know what I was expecting. Other than the annoyance of having to use the fresher forty times a day and his occasional playing with water in the sink, which I believe is occurring right now", he said with a smirk.

He opened the door and told Luke to turn off the water. Luke came out with a sheepish grin and water all over his tunic front, shaking his wet hands. Obi-Wan shook his head ruefully and gave her a look that said _See?_

She took a small towel out and dried Luke's hands with it. "Thank you", he said shyly. Not quite as shy as before. She could tell he was warming up to her, although he still didn't know what to make of his situation. For what it was worth, given that she hadn't heard him cry or throw one tantrum, and the fact that Obi-Wan hadn't mentioned anything of the sort either, she was impressed at how adaptable he was. She wondered how she would've reacted to a similar situation at that age, and couldn't fathom it.

"Ready to go?" Dorme asked as she came in and closed the ramp. Everyone got in their seats, curious as to what their new home was going to be like.

A forty five minute ride later saw them outside of a nice squat, rounded farmhouse which looked to be in good condition. "Three bedrooms, two freshers, and adjacent garage. Forest is not too far off. There's a lake about thirty minutes South of here, and a small town nearby where you can do shopping for necessities. Anything major, you will probably have to go to the spaceport", the current owner told them, handing the keys to Padme. She had outright bought the property. The owner was more than happy. He was a widower, and all of his children had grown up and moved on, so it was much too difficult for him to maintain the property on his own. Renting was a pain, and she would much rather not have something that could tie her in contractually where her absence would be noticed should they need to run at any point. The man had agreed, relieved to not have to worry about the property anymore. He was already living with one of his sisters anyway.

Padme bade him farewell and opened the door, taking a look around. She had sent the others to park the speeder and explore the property. She and Dorme were disguised, but Obi-Wan was not, and she didn't want to chance him being recognized, even if it was by an old farmer who probably had no interest in what was going on in the wider Galaxy. She walked through to the back entrance through the garage and located them by a bunch of bushes. Her son seemed to be quite taken with them, looking back and forth between Obi-Wan, no _Ben_ , she reminded herself, and the bushes. He was obviously explaining something to him.

"Ah, my lady, perhaps you can tell us if these berries are edible?" he queried as she approached them.

"I don't know, honestly. I'd say it's best not to try until we know for sure", she said. Luke's little face scrunched up with disappointment and he threw the red berry he'd been holding on the ground. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find lots of good food for you to eat. Are you hungry right now?"

She shouldn't have been surprised to see a vigorous nod. If he was anything like his father, then he would have quite the appetite. Now that the initial nerves were over, she realized she was hungry as well. "How about the rest of you?"

"It does sound like a good idea my lady", Obi-Wan responded.

"Please, do call me Anna, Ben", she responded a little playfully. She hadn't yet filled him in on their cover story, and she needed him to drop the formality as soon as possible, lest they attract curiosity.

After a decent lunch of toasted bread and some delicious dips, Padme decided it was time to get to business. She exchanged a look with Dorme, and she nodded, coming back into the room with a bag. Obi-Wan eyed the bag nervously, somehow knowing that this was intended for him, even without using the Force.

"What's all this?" he asked suspiciously as Dorme approached him with a snake-like object with numbers on it.

"Measurements", Dorme said simply.

"Measurements?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yes, measurements", Padme replied this time. "You will need new clothes, preferably ones that fit, if you will be staying here. You cannot tell me that you intend to wear those robes until they fall apart. Surely you noticed in your time here that no one wears Jedi robes, or robes of any kind."

Obi-Wan blushed and dipped his head in acknowledgement. He took off the outer robe and outer tunic and let Dorme get to work. Padme sighed. While Obi-Wan was a brilliant strategist, he had no idea of how to get along in the outside world. Tattooine would have been suitable for him, since the clothing he preferred was similar enough to what moisture farmers wore there. But, he wasn't on Tattooine anymore, and he couldn't fathom truly changing this last vestige of the Jedi Order. Her heart went out to him in a way, this meant that he truly had to let go of his past, and who he was. She understood all too well how he felt.

Once Dorme was done, she knelt down by Luke, who had been watching with rapt curiosity and asked him if she could get his measurements. He nodded with a smile and listened as she explained what she was doing.

Dorme gathered the datapad she had put the numbers down on and asked a few questions: "Any color preferences? Allergies to any fabrics?"

Obi-Wan just blinked and shook his head, honestly perplexed about this line of questioning. He had always worn his Jedi robes, at least as far back as he could remember. Any other time he hadn't, was when he was undercover, and then he had no choice in what to wear - he was always told or given what to wear. The idea of making this kind of decision was clearly alien and overwhelming for him. Padme, having noticed this, merely looked at Dorme and told her: "Earth tones. And a blaster. Also make sure to pick up a few rifles. I'm sure that there will be creatures around here that will not be friendly, especially with the forest not so far away." The fact that a lightsaber should not be used under any circumstances went unspoken. Obi-Wan scowled, but conceded the point with a nod of his head

"I should think we need towels and bedlinens", Padme added. "Nightclothes and gloves as well, now that I'm thinking about it."

"Gloves?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, there's a good chance that we'll be working with chemicals in the fertilizers and that some of the shrubbery may have thorns as well."

"Ah, good thinking then."

"What's thorns?" Luke asked beside her.

"They're how a plant protects itself. They poke your hands if you touch them. Do you want to go outside where I can show you?" She asked, holding out her hand. He nodded his head and took it. Her heart swelled, this was the first time she was holding her son's hand! She so badly wanted to just grab him and hug him, but she couldn't do that just yet. She needed to ease into this, and hopefully be able to tell him of their relation soon. She didn't know if he would understand or not, but for right now, she was going to at least get to know him, and show him some thorns.

Obi-Wan watched mother and son walk outside. He felt weary, elated, ambushed, and uncertain all at the same time. He was not used to being so off guard. He could see why Bail had not told him who was coming to meet with him specifically, since she was supposed to be _dead_ after all, but it was still a huge shock. He was quite amazed with how well she seemed to be coping with her situation, and guessed that Luke's adaptability must have been inherited from her. Anakin fought any and all changes, unless he was the one implementing them himself. Which, come to think of it, was not so different from himself. Perhaps that was just a Jedi trait in general though, and not a personality one? Something else to ponder on.

Padme had been the one in a coma for three years, and she was the one impressing the importance of blending in with the general populace. He was apprehensive of mother and son being together, hoping that neither Anakin or Palpatine could sense them. He would have to at least be around to protect them while Luke was so young, not so different from his original purpose. He was hoping he would've been able to start Luke on his Jedi training soon, now that his guardians were gone and no longer an obstacle, but he had a feeling that Padme would prove to be even more intractable on that score than Owen Lars could have ever been.

Still, as uneasy as his logical mind was, it felt right with the Force. And he had to question the timing of recent events - it was too coincidental. Either way, he wasn't sure how he felt about cohabiting with Padme, and he could feel her apprehension as well. He knew that they would need to have a talk about everything that had occurred eventually. But, for now, it was nice to be around others who were familiar and were willing to take charge for once. He had been unable to let down his guard for so long that he didn't know if he'd ever be able to again, but at least there was a slight release of tension now. He didn't realize how used he'd gotten to being alone. But now, with Dorme gone for necessities, and Padme and Luke outside, he felt a little more relaxed.

He almost wanted to try to contact Master Yoda for advice, but decided against it. He'd been vacillating on whether to do so over and over for the last several days since the Lars massacre. However, given that everything felt right in the Force in a way it hadn't for a long time, he didn't think it was worth risking. And as sad as it made him, he had to question Yoda's judgement of Tattooine as a place worthy of hiding in. But, then again, he'd been questioning a lot of things he hadn't before these last three years.

Obi-Wan sighed and decided to just trust in the Force for now, and let his worries fade away if just for a little bit.


	6. Chapter 6

Padme was thoroughly enjoying herself for the first time she could remember in a long time. Her little son's sense of wonder at everything he was seeing and experiencing for the first time made her appreciate all the things she had taken for granted for so much of her life. They had stopped along the shrubbery on the periphery of the yard, where she had shown him the thorns on the flowering bushes. He had very seriously declared that those would "give owies".

"They smell pretty", Luke said, taking a sniff. The flowers were long and a pale yet vibrant blue, much like her son's eyes. She made a note to try and find some clothing that would bring the color out. As of right now, he was still wearing his tattered and very dirty Tattooine farm clothes. She wondered if Obi-Wan had even thought to give her little boy a bath. Spying his very dirty fingernails, she doubted anything of the sort had occurred. Not that he seemed to mind at the moment.

"They do smell pretty", she agreed, taking a whiff herself. The flowers smelled sweet, yet not overwhelmingly so. The same could not be said for her son at the moment. Suddenly, he let out a delighted gasp, and she followed his line of sight down to the base of the bushes.

"A squishy lizard!" he cried out happily. Padme stifled a laugh, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"It's a frog. He must be hunting for bugs", she told him gently.

"Frog", he repeated, awestruck. He bent down to try to pet it, but the little animal hopped away quickly, as she had anticipated. "He's cute!" he exclaimed delightedly.

"He is _sort of_ cute", Padme laughed, "but best not try to touch him". The only frogs she had ever considered cute had been these little multi-colored beings, no bigger than her thumbnail, that she had encountered in a hotel during a massive rainstorm. The little creatures had come inside for refuge and were jumping all over the hallways. The staff had informed her and the rest of the guests not to touch them as they were extremely poisonous. She didn't know if this particular frog was harmless or not, or the berries, or the flowers for that matter. There was quite a lot of research they were going to have to do before settling in completely, that was for sure.

"He hops!" Luke said, as the frog, deciding it didn't want to spend any more time in their company, made his retreat underneath the shrubbery. She surmised he was making his way back towards the lake. She figured there must be small ponds or little streams nearby as well. They'd have to investigate more thoroughly later.

Luke started imitating the hopping, laughing as he did so. Padme smiled to herself. She may have missed many firsts of his life, but she was now here for so many new ones. First frog was not something she would've ever imagined sharing and delighting in so in her past life. And once Dorme got back with supplies, first bath would be next on the list, for she was well aware that on Tattooine sonic showers were the rule.

There was something about the way Luke learned things, she had noticed, that sent a pang straight to her heart. He reminded her of Ruwee Naberrie, her father, in those moments. She inexplicably found herself seeing her son as a teacher in the future. She couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, but it was there. It could be because she was being the teacher in this moment, reminiscing about her father showing her things about nature when they had lived in the mountains. _Like father, like daughter_ , she chuckled internally.

"Ben! Ben! There was a frog!" Luke exclaimed excitedly as Obi-Wan made his approach. Padme noticed that there was a hint of a smile on his face and that he seemed to look a little more relaxed.

"Well, looks like I missed quite the adventure", he said good-naturedly. He made his way over to the flowers and took a long appreciative sniff, closing his eyes and enjoying himself immensely. "You never know just what you were missing until you encounter it again", he said.

Padme gave him a sympathetic smile. She couldn't imagine spending as long as he had on Tattooine with just how barren it really was. She also wondered when he had last had the time to experience such a simple pleasure, since she doubted he had had many opportunities to just stop and smell the flowers out in the field, either. That, or any of the flora and fauna would've been ignored, only making sure that the harmful varieties were avoided. She wondered if he felt his life's purpose had been as much for nothing as she did.

As if sensing her thoughts, he turned and looked her in the eyes with a small, sad smile. "I think this new beginning is a necessity for all of us. Perhaps we needed to get in touch with the things that we had taken for granted before, to maybe help guide us to a better purpose than the one we had imagined for ourselves."

She nodded in agreement, looking down at her son, who was now absorbed with a smooth rounded rock. No doubt all he had ever seen were jagged and rough ones, and even something as simple as a different kind of rock would be fascinating to him. He didn't judge it as unworthy, he just studied it and studied it, turning it over and over in his little hands, forehead crinkling in thought. She looked at Obi-Wan again, and felt something soften in her despite herself.

"I must apologize for how I spoke to you earlier. I know it must have seemed as though I was accusing you of having lived in a bubble of sorts, but it seems I was guilty of very much the same thing", she said contritely. She had taken out some of her fears and frustrations out on him, she knew that now. She still hadn't heard the entire story from his point of view, and was ashamed at her emotional reaction earlier.

"No apologies needed, my lady. It's not as if you were mistaken. It seems that change came upon us whether we wanted it to or not. Perhaps we were clinging to keeping things as they always were, confusing it with purpose. I cannot tell if this was the will of the Force or not, to give us such a tremendous wake-up call". He hesitated for a moment, and then plowed ahead anyway, wanting to make sure there was no immediate lingering animosity present: "I feel it is the will of the Force for you to be here with your son, and I with you. I shall endeavor to make sure that whatever new purpose we are to discover for ourselves, that you shall have my full cooperation."

Padme let out a shaky sigh, letting herself relax. She took his hand in both of hers and squeezed gently. This was better than what she had been expecting from Obi-Wan, given his initial reception to her arrival. She knew they would still have to have a big talk later, but for now, this was a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

Luke seemed to sense the lightening of tension, and looked between the adults, trying to figure out what had changed. She knelt down and asked him: "What you got there?"

"It's a rock! It's soft", he finished on a whisper.

"It's because water and rain made it soft after a long time", she told him. "Kind of like brushing your hair makes it softer", she said running her hand through his hair carefully. Yes, a bath was definitely in order, and she did not look forward to getting those tangles out.

"Huh", he said, looking at the rock and petting it softly. His eyes were starting to get a little droopy, and she wondered if he had been sleeping well, given all the chaos. Padme imagined any sort of routine he had had was completely ruined. She was feeling tired as well, and was surprised she had been able to go this long without needing sleep herself. She took his hand and he went willingly with her, taking his rock with him inside.

Dorme returned to the sight of a very peaceful-looking Obi-Wan Kenobi sitting in the yard meditating. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't curious about his version of events, and stamped down the urge to ask him what had occurred. He looked much better already than the broken man she had encountered just hours earlier. She was loathe to bring up anything that would shatter his moment right now. Besides, she didn't know if Padme had spoken to him about it yet, and didn't feel it was her place to do so first. However, she had no reservations about asking him for his help in bringing her purchases into the home, which he agreed to placidly.

As she set the first round of supplies down on the kitchen island, she looked into the open living area, and saw mother and son napping together on the couch. Little Luke looked quite comfortable curled into his mother, his head on her chest, her head resting on his. He was loosely holding a rock in one of his hands. She smiled and saw Obi-Wan doing the same in her peripheral vision. They quietly brought in the rest of her purchases. Luckily, the island held all of the bags, just barely.

"Master Jedi-"

"Please, call me Ben, my lady", he interrupted gently with a smile. "It would be most unfortunate if we could not be on a first name basis here, since this will be our living arrangement for the foreseeable future."

"Of course, Ben", she said, and then cleared her throat, pulling out a bag and bringing out its contents. She handed them to him, and he felt a lump in his throat that he had to swallow down. She had brought him two pairs of trousers - one dark brown, one light brown. The same with the tunics.

"This is most kind of you, my lady-"

"Erica, please", she interrupted with a shy smile of her own. She could tell he was touched, and wasn't sure how to proceed. "Please let me know if these are to your liking. I wasn't sure about the undergarments, so I brought several different kinds, and you can choose which ones you prefer. I can always take back what you don't like", she said as she handed over the bag itself, noticing that he was blushing as much as she was herself.

"Oh, yes", he said awkwardly, and more than a little overwhelmed. Obi-Wan felt guilty for having never noticed this kind woman before. He knew that it was her job as a handmaiden to not be noticed as an individual, but he felt terrible for having ignored her so completely in the past. The kindness and thoughtfulness she had just shown him was something he had not experienced nor ever expected to experience.

"Here are some towels, you can choose whichever one you'd like", she said, opening up another bag quietly, trying to not disturb the slumbering mother and son.

He chose a simple brown one, leaving the more colorful ones for the others. "I thank you very kindly. I suppose I should perform a favor for everyone here and make immediate use of these".

Dorme laughed, covering her mouth to keep from making as much noise as possible. "I was saying no such thing, _Ben_. However, since you are the only person awake right now, I thought I would give you the opportunity to choose what you would like in relative peace." She hoped that alleviated the awkwardness a little bit, and she was relieved to see a small smile on his face.

He dipped his head in acknowledgement and countered with: "I will be so gallant as to try out the fresher first and let you know if there are any deficiencies or peculiarities to keep in mind then".

She laughed again. "Thank you for your kind service, sir. You are a true gentleman".

Obi-Wan bowed, "At your service, my lady", and went off to the fresher to enjoy his first water shower in three years. This was definitely turning out to be a much better day than he had anticipated.


	7. Chapter 7

Padme woke up to quiet conversation coming from the fresher. It seemed that Obi-Wan was giving Dorme instructions on how to use the shower. She smiled to herself, at least that was one thing she wasn't going to have to figure out on her own. She looked down at her little boy, still sleeping soundly. She hadn't realized that they had fallen asleep together. She remembered leading him to the couch and him leaning against her without any hesitation. She wondered if he was this open with everyone once he got to know them, or if he knew on some level who she was.

"I see you're awake, my lady", she heard Dorme speak softly. "Would you like for me to put him down on a bed for now?"

"No, Dorme, thank you. I don't think he should be on a bed in his current state", she said wrinkling her nose. "Once he wakes up I want to see about getting him cleaned up".

"Of course. Would you like to see what I brought? We can always exchange anything you don't like or get anything else we might need later."

Padme nodded and got up, carefully extricating Luke from her and laying him down gently on the couch, rock and all. She patted his arm softly and walked to the kitchen to see what Dorme had procured.

"Tea?" Obi-Wan offered. He looked _much_ better after getting cleaned up and dressed in civilian clothes. She had never seen him look this casual, but she thought the look suited him. Padme inwardly sighed, for even though he had changed the outer attire, he was still recognizable. She and Dorme had already discussed the other part of his transformation, but decided to leave that off until later. They weren't going anywhere anytime soon, and she wanted to ease him into any more changes, knowing just how traditional Obi-Wan was.

"Yes, thank you", she said, taking a warm mug. It was just right, not too bitter, not too sweet. The man did know how to make good tea. She gave him an appreciative smile.

Looking over all that Dorme had brought, she was satisfied. She was most interested in what her little boy was going to wear, and wondered if he would be as easy going about clothing as he had been about everything else. Dorme handed her a plain white tunic and brown trousers. Simple, yet familiar and comforting colors. The next set was a dark blue tunic, which she hoped wouldn't be too severe. Another set of brown trousers, slightly lighter color. And then, a set of blue pajamas with stars on them. They would do for now, and she could go and get things more to either of their liking once they saw how Luke reacted to what there was.

"Thank you so much, Dorme", she said. "I think we should figure out sleeping arrangements now, rather than later. I don't think anyone wants to be fighting sleep while making a bed."

"Agreed my lady". Dorme led her past the open living room and through the hallway, back to the warren of rooms that occupied the outer perimeter of the side of the house. One was larger than the others, which was obviously the main bedroom, with built-in fresher. Padme and Dorme agreed to share that one. The next one over would be Luke's, and then Obi-Wan's. This way, if Luke needed anything, there would be an adult on either side of his room. That agreed upon, they started to make the beds and make the house livable.

Luke had woken up finally, while the adults had started to filter back into the kitchen and clean up the already opened packages. Padme was glad that they had made some noise, as she didn't want him to sleep the day away and then not sleep any later that night. She had already put everything she needed in the fresher, now all she needed was to take him in there. Luckily, he already was headed that way due to nature calling. She gave him a few minutes for privacy, and once she heard the faucet water running, decided to go in.

"Did you have a good nap?" She asked good-naturedly, deciding to not just spring this new development on him.

"Uh huh", he said, still a little sleepy. He spied the blue pajamas with stars laying on the corner of the vanity, and looked at her questioningly. She saw her opening here.

"Yes, those are for you."

"Yay! Wanna put 'em on!" He exclaimed delightedly.

"Wait just a minute, please. Only clean little boys can wear new pajamas", she said.

He froze for a minute, looking at her with wide eyes, and she wondered if he would fight it. But, one more longing look at the fanciest clothing he had ever seen decided it for him: "Ok", he said grudgingly.

Padme started to run the water and fill up the tub. She looked over at Luke, and saw him staring wide eyed in absolute horror. "I hafta get in there?" He squeaked out.

"Yes, it's perfectly safe", she assured him. "This is how most people get clean. Where you lived before you had to watch your water, but here you don't have to." She hoped the explanation wasn't too complicated. He nodded slowly, accepting the information. He seemed more fascinated by the water than anything, and put an experimental hand in.

"It's warm", he said in wonder.

"You think it's good enough for you get in?"

He nodded again slowly.

"Go ahead", she said, sitting on the edge of the tub. Instantly, his demeanor changed again. He seemed to shrink in on himself and wouldn't look her in the eye. "What's wrong?" He mumbled something she couldn't understand, so she leaned forward and gently said: "I can't hear you".

Luke looked up at her with tear-filled eyes: "It's private!" he exclaimed, flushing red. This, she had not anticipated. Obviously he took after her in being more private, or his guardians had instilled the importance of it.

"I promise I won't look", she said, covering her eyes. When Padme still heard no movement, she turned around so her back was to him, still covering her eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard boots come off, and then other items of clothing. More silence. "Everything ok?" she asked, not moving from her position. She didn't want to break his trust, or worse, make any association with being clean traumatic.

She heard little footsteps and then the splashing of water. There was a slide of feet, and then a gasp. She heard him settle himself rather hard and hoped he hadn't displaced water all over the floor, but at least he had gotten in. "Can I turn around?" she asked.

"Ok", she heard, but barely. Padme turned around and saw her little boy cowering in the tub, in a little ball. He truly did not want her to see anything. Not that she could have anyway, since the water was already a murky brown. "I have an idea, Luke", she said, inspiration striking. "We can put bubbles in there, and no one will see anything." She smiled, waiting for his reaction.

"Bubbles?" Hesitant, but curious.

"You are in for a treat, mister", she said.

After a long successful bath later, she decided that her little man was even more handsome than she thought. She noticed that his hair was curling now, much like hers, but it had been so tangled and matted earlier it was impossible to tell. She had dutifully turned around again and closed her eyes after handing him a towel. After some confusion, he had understood what it was for and was delighted to find out that he had his very own towel. He had let her look after his underwear had come on, so his modesty only extended so far, she saw. Either that, or he had realized that he was not going to be able to get into the one-piece pajamas without help.

She marveled at just how tiny he really was. He was small and slender, like her. She wondered if fate would be so cruel as to let her daughter be taller than her brother. It was hard to tell from the holos that Dorme had given her if Leia was as small as her brother or not, given that there were no other people in them for reference. However, she suspected that both of her children had inherited her height.

He had only complained a few times while she was combing out his hair. They were small little grunts, not whimpers or anything of the sort. She wondered if he was stoic by nature, or if he had been taught to be. Once that was done, she let him back out into the common area and gathered up all the dirty linens.

"Oh my goodness, you look so handsome!" she heard Dorme gush.

A giggle, then a shy "Thank you. Ben, can I have some water?"

Padme smiled to herself as she walked towards the back of the home, knowing that Obi-Wan was sighing at that moment, even if she couldn't hear it. She deposited her son's dirty clothes in the laundry bin. She had considered throwing them out, but decided against it. There was nothing else of his here, and should he want a comfort item until he got a new one, then at least he would have these. That, and she didn't want her in-laws' sacrifice to go to forgotten. She didn't know how much Luke would remember in the future, but she wanted to make sure that he would have at least something to remember them by. It was the only way she could say her thanks to them for having watched over her son for her while she couldn't.

Moments later she could hear his excited little feet as he ran back to the room next to hers. She walked over and stood in the doorway, watching him take in the sight of the bed with it's blue sheets with stars. Dorme had made some good choices, for he was clearly pleased. He turned around and saw her there. "It's so big!" he exclaimed, beaming.

She inwardly frowned, this was not a large room by any means, and she wondered just what his accommodations had been like with his guardians. She couldn't remember almost any of those details from when she and Anakin had gone to Tattooine, the most vivid impressions being Anakin's emotional distress and the pervasive sadness of everyone else. She shook her head and smiled, walking over and sitting on the bed. "You like it?" she asked.

Luke nodded vigorously. Then he became quiet again. Pensive. He looked up at her, and she swore it was like he was looking right into her and knew all her thoughts and feelings. Not in the uncomfortable way that Anakin had had a way of doing, but enough that she had no doubt that he had inherited his father's terrible power. She only hoped it wouldn't be anywhere near as crippling for him as it had been for his father.

"You Ben's friend?" he asked her after a moment of silence.

"Yes, I've known him for a very long time". She wondered where this line of inquiry was going.

"Are you my friend?"

This was it, this was the moment of truth, she decided. "No, Luke, I am your mother."

He seemed confused by this for a moment, scrunching his eyebrows. He looked at her again and asked "You're my mommy?" Uncertain, timid.

"Yes, I am, and I have missed you very very much", she said, trying to hold her tears back. "I was very sick, and was asleep for a long, long time. But then, I woke up, and found out that you needed me, so now I'm here, and I won't leave you again", she promised.

He studied her again and seemed satisfied with her answer. "Is Daddy sick too?"

Padme steeled herself, not expecting this question already. But, she realized her little boy had given her the true answer within his question. For no doubt, that was what Anakin was - sick, very sick indeed. A different kind of sick than she had been, but sick nonetheless. "Yes, Daddy's very sick, and he needs to get better", she said truthfully. She tried to rein in her emotions, not wanting him to sense that she didn't know if he could be healed. "But right now, you don't have to worry about that. You just worry about growing up big and strong, ok?"

He nodded slowly. She didn't know how much of it he truly understood, but he was accepting of it for now. "Mommy?" he asked shyly. She nodded for him to continue, "Can I give you a hug?"

Padme thought her face would split from the enormous smile she felt, but she didn't care. She just opened up her arms and finally got to hug her little Luke. Right now, she didn't care about Anakin or Vader or Palpatine, or any of the rest of the Galaxy. Right now, she thought she could just die happy like this, hugging her little boy on her lap.


	8. Chapter 8

The house was finally quiet. Obi-Wan had proven himself to be a pretty decent cook, which was a pleasant surprise for all. When Padme had remarked on it, he quipped that he had had to find ways to occupy his time during his "exile". She wondered if he had ever cooked for Anakin when he had been a padawan, but decided that was not a question for that moment. She didn't want to ruin the good atmosphere.

The only bad spot of the evening came when it was time to take Luke to bed. It seemed that now that he had bonded with Padme, he didn't want to let her out of his sight and kept whining about not being tired, when he very clearly was. She understood his anxiety, given all the turmoil he had gone through recently, and ignored Obi-Wan's worried frown. She had wondered when there would be an incident of sorts, and it seemed that now was the time. She calmly carried him to his room and laid down on the bed with him after tucking him in. He had curled up next to her and she had promised that she would be here when he woke up. He was safe. She promised. He had grudgingly accepted her promises and even let her kiss him on the forehead.

Now, as she petted her sleeping son's head, she wondered if Beru had snuggled like this with him, or if he was soaking up this attention because he had never gotten it before. She didn't know what his memories consisted of or if he even had the capacity to communicate them adequately at such a young age. One thing she was certain of was that Obi-Wan had most certainly not shown him this type of affection. Not because he was a cold person by nature, but because he was a Jedi, and physical affection, or affection of any kind, was generally verboten. Obi-Wan's warmth could only be perceived by adults who knew where to look for it, something that would not have been appreciated by a very tactile toddler. In this, it seemed like he took after his father.

She sighed and kissed his cheek, getting up gingerly so as not to disturb him. She quietly made her way back to the kitchen, where Obi-Wan was busy brewing some nighttime tea. She had been surprised by how well he and Dorme had been getting along, playfully teasing each other. Dorme was nowhere in sight, and Padme suspected that it was on purpose, since she knew that Padme and Obi-Wan needed to talk. As tired as she was herself, she knew there needed to be a conversation tonight. Not _the_ big talk, but a talk nonetheless. They both needed to know where they stood for the immediate future, at least. Details could be worked out later.

"Everything go alright then?" Obi-Wan asked as he slid her a fresh mug of tea. She bristled at his concern and knew where it stemmed from. This was one of the things that would get addressed tonight, for sure. She just needed to work up to that point carefully.

"Yes, it was to be expected. Given everything that he's been through and that he's only three years old, I'd say he's behaved extraordinarily well", she said as lightly as she could. She blew on the tea and kept her eyes on the mug on purpose, letting him mull her words over.

"Of course. I have limited experience with children that young, it was just rather surprising to see such an outburst when there hadn't been one thus far. He's talked more in the last day then he did the entire time he was with me", he remarked. If she hadn't been feeling so defensive, she might have missed the sadness in his voice, but since she was hyper aware of everything now, she detected it. Whether his feelings were hurt at the lack of trust her son had shown in him or whether it was a reminder of Anakin, she didn't know.

"I'll be honest, Obi-Wan", she said, setting down her mug and looking at him more kindly now. "My experience with children extends to my nieces, and there were regular outbursts at that age. On a clinical note, the most changes that occur in a human's life are during the first three years, and then during puberty. They are prone to frustration and outbursts even if they are raised in perfect conditions."

Obi-Wan seemed to think about that, and then said, "I seem to vaguely remember hearing that very same thing when I had asked the Healers for advice when Anakin had started going through puberty". She suddenly found herself feeling very sorry for the man. As moody and emotional as Anakin was as an adult, she didn't even want to imagine what he'd been like as a teenager. She only hoped neither of her children would have the adolescence from hell.

"I know you worry about Luke", she said, gearing up for the main point she wanted to make. "I don't expect you to worry about raising him or trying to be his father figure or anything of the sort. I only ask for your protection and advice". She paused and let that sink in for a minute. He continued to look at her passively, yet attentively, and she soldiered on: "I want Luke to be raised as a normal child. No Jedi Code. I was not given a proper childhood, nor were you or Anakin. I don't want Luke growing up with the pressure that Anakin felt, knowing he was needed for some higher purpose. I don't want him thinking that he has to save the Galaxy and have that weighing him down. I want him to grow up and decide for himself if he wants to choose that path or not. I want him to know everything he needs to going into that decision - and that includes what happened to his father. I do not want him manipulated or coerced into going after the Sith. I especially don't want him being used to do so without knowing that that is his father he'll be going up against. I want him to be raised firmly in the light, and knowing that he's doing the right thing because he wants to, not because it has been thrust upon him or because he's been made to feel that that is his only purpose in life".

She swallowed and looked Obi-Wan straight in the eye: "I don't fault you for doing what had to be done. I am not angry with you or Bail. I know that you did the best you could under the terrible conditions you had to deal with. However, I do fault Master Yoda for not having sensed Palpatine and what he was earlier. I do fault Master Yoda for sending you after Anakin. I do fault Master Yoda for sending you and Luke to Tattooine and endangering you in such a way. For all of Master Yoda's wisdom, I think he's been so detached from real people, that I fear that had everything worked out how he had envisioned it, that irreparable harm may have come to Luke. I don't know if even he has a clear conscience on this, but it almost seemed like he was trying to punish Anakin through Luke, if that makes sense".

After a moment of silence, Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Padme", he began, then stopped himself, struggling for words. "I promise you, it was never my intention to hurt your children or you, and I am sure that it wasn't Master Yoda's either. I must apologize for the way things have turned out, I can't imagine what you must be going through", he said sincerely.

Padme was taken aback by his conciliatory demeanor. She felt ashamed that she had thought that he would immediately begin a lecture on how Luke should be raised, and realized that she had expected Obi-Wan to act in the manner which Anakin had so often complained of. That was a mistake. Obviously Anakin's judgement was more than suspect, so she shouldn't have taken that tack. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so harsh", she said, voice cracking with shame.

"No, Padme. I can only imagine what it must be like to have your entire life decided for you without your consent. You are a very independent and capable woman, and I'm sure that this has not been easy for you in any way. I've had three years to adjust to the new reality, and you are still trying to get your feet underneath you. I find you to be holding yourself up admirably", he said honestly.

Padme couldn't help it anymore. She burst into tears. From guilt, being overwhelmed, angry at what had occurred, anger at Palpatine, anger at Anakin, and most of all, anger at herself for not having been able to do a thing about any of it. All of her famed control, it was all an illusion. One she had allowed herself to believe in only for it to all come to pieces like a mirror being dropped on the ground. She wiped furiously at her eyes, embarrassed at her lack of control in front of Obi-Wan. He said nothing and handed her a napkin for her to dab her eyes with. It was white, and she was glad that she wasn't wearing eye make-up now. She snorted and hiccuped out a sob, wondering why such a stupid thought would have entered her head at this moment. After a few minutes, she had calmed down and proceeded to down an entire glass of water, hiccuping occasionally. Obi-Wan got up and refilled it for her without a word. She smiled at him ruefully, thanking him with her eyes. Such a small and simple gesture, but so very gentlemanly all the same.

She drew in a sharp breath and continued on: "I believe it is in our best interests to live here quietly for the time being and draw no attention to ourselves. From what Bail has told me, right now Palpatine is too popular to move against. The majority human population in the Galaxy is suffering no major ill effects from the Empire, so no outright rebellion of any sort could gain any traction. As much as I believe in democracy, I think it will take some time for people to get tired of tyranny and be willing to demand change again. Perhaps what you said earlier about us finding a different purpose is true. It seems that I have failed in both my personal and professional life, so I might as well take the time to repair the personal one before I even begin to worry about the other."

"I think you will find that I am in agreement with you there", Obi-Wan said. "It is sad to say, but if the system we were fighting for were had been strong enough, then it would not have collapsed as it did. I fear we are nowhere near ready to take on the Empire, and won't be for some time. I also would rather not draw any attention to either of the children if at all possible. This was the original intention anyway. Both children were to be raised as normally as possible and when the Force deemed it time, then they would meet and fulfill their destinies".

Padme was partially relieved to hear that last bit, but she still didn't like the part about "destinies". She was not Force-sensitive, but that did not mean that she didn't believe in its existence, but she refused to believe that her children were already set on a predetermined path. If the Jedi were so sure of what the Force was telling them, then their original plan would have worked out and they would not be sitting here having this discussion. Neither the Republic or the Jedi Order would have been destroyed either, for that matter. The possibility of some cosmic deity of sorts allowing such atrocities to occur as part of some "plan" made her sick to her stomach. It also smacked of excuse-making. If there was a failure of some sort, a Jedi could just say it was the "will of the Force". She did believe that there was an energy field out there, but that sentient beings had much more to do with how it was used and felt then they were willing to give themselves credit for.

For the time being, she would take their current agreement and live with it. At least she didn't have to worry about Obi-Wan wanting to take her child and turn him into an emotionless husk. She only needed to worry about Yoda and what he would do now that part of the grand plan had been upended, if he even knew about it. As if sensing her thoughts, Obi-Wan addressed her: "I'm sure Master Yoda has been apprised of current events. I wouldn't worry about anything right now. The only reason he would need to have anything to do with either of your children would be if I failed in my mission, my lady."

Padme relaxed for just a bit. She trusted Obi-Wan, mostly, but she was not so sure about Yoda. And while she had unfairly judged Obi-Wan a few times, she knew that his heart was truly in the right place, even if it conflicted with his sense of duty. Yoda, she found to be cold and entirely too pragmatic. How much of that was devotion to the Code, and how much was getting to be eight hundred years old and having seen many generations come and go so that only the big picture mattered and not the people who helped make that big picture happen.

"Let's hope that you don't fail then", she smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Padme woke up feeling more refreshed than she had a in a long time. She sat up and stretched, popping her joints. The sun was up, but it was quiet in the house, as if no one else was up yet. She looked at the cot on the other side of the room and saw that Dorme was still asleep. She had told her that they could share the bed, but when she had come in after her talk with Obi-Wan, Dorme was already asleep on the cot, and Padme didn't want to wake her up just to be petty. She sighed and decided to take a shower and try out her new clothes Dorme had picked for her. The trousers were brown, and she wondered if that was the only color of pants available on this planet. The tunic was a nice reddish brown, which accented her hair well, and her eyes, when she didn't have the green eye contacts in.

The water pressure was strong enough to be almost brutal here, and she found that she enjoyed it. Padme let the water hit her shoulders and back, removing all the lingering tension. Yesterday had been a far more productive day than she had even anticipated it being. She smiled thinking of her beautiful little boy and allowed herself a moment of sadness for Leia. She knew it was for the best, and she considered herself lucky to even be allowed one of her children. For, even if the Order hadn't collapsed, chances were both children would have been taken from her at some point. Which was probably why Yoda had had no problem suggesting that they be split up in the first place, aside from the obvious pragmatic ones. She wondered if she would ever get to meet Leia one day, and if she would even begin to be able to forgive her mother for all that had occurred.

Padme felt guilt for the entire situation. She still didn't know if Obi-Wan knew specifically why Anakin had fallen, and she vacillated between telling him or not. She hadn't even told Dorme yet. But, if there was anyone who truly deserved to know, it was Obi-Wan. He had honestly felt guilt at her situation, he truly hadn't meant her any harm, she knew that now without a doubt. She couldn't in good conscience keep that knowledge from him. But she also couldn't just throw it at him at the moment. She wasn't ready to speak about Mustafar and was honestly surprised at the lack of nightmares surrounding the incident. She supposed her subconscious was still in denial or protecting her from it while her body still tried to rebuild itself.

Once she was dressed she came out and saw that Dorme was already up and in the kitchen fixing breakfast. She peeked in Luke's room and saw him still sleeping, his knees under his chest and his behind poking up in the air. She remembered her nieces sleeping the same way at that age and wondered if all small children did that. She smiled and saw that Obi-Wan's door was closed. He was either still sleeping or not in there. He might have even gotten up to go meditate, since she remembered Anakin doing that on several of the quick stolen nights that they had been able to spend together.

"Good morning, my lady", Dorme greeted her, passing her some toasted bread and fruit spread.

"Good morning, Dorme. You know, I wasn't just suggesting that you and I share the bed. It can't have been comfortable on that cot."

"No worries, it was perfectly fine. Besides, I didn't want you to feel disoriented if you woke up with someone else in the bed with you", Dorme said as she fished in the conservator for fruit juice.

Padme knew what that meant. She didn't want to risk Padme rolling over and bumping into another body and freaking out, thinking it was Anakin. She honestly hadn't thought of it, but it made a certain kind of sense. Once she would have sworn to herself that she would never share a bed with anyone else but her husband, but he was all but dead to her now, so what difference did it make? She didn't say anything in response and continued to eat in silence.

She heard a shuffling of feet behind her and looked down to see a tousled-haired sleepy-eyed Luke looking at her. He blinked at her a few times and came up to give her a hug. She squeezed him back gently, reassuringly. He had made good on his promise to make sure that she was there in the morning. He let her go and shuffled off to the fresher without another word, rubbing his eyes as he went. She turned back and shared a smile with Dorme.

When he came back he looked slightly more awake but not much. "Would you like some juice?" Dorme asked him gently.

He shook his head and said "Water". Then after a beat, "Please". Padme wondered how long this phase would last and when he wouldn't want anything but sweet drinks. She'd enjoy this for as long as it lasted.

Luke climbed up into the chair next to hers, hooking his toes around the layers of bars like a monkey. She had a flash of memory of Pooja climbing into a chair in the same way. Dorme passed over a plate for him and he started eating without a word.

Padme wondered if this was just how he was during meals, or if it was expected of him to be quiet at mealtime. Both during lunch and dinner yesterday he had been quiet the whole time, letting the adults talk. She didn't know how much of it was him still getting used to the situation, but if she remembered the Lars at all, the most likely scenario was a quiet meal. She thought back to her own family and how boisterous it could get around the table. Thinking back to her family on Naboo, she realized that the last time she had seen her nieces, Pooja had been about the same age that Luke was now. They both even had the same blond curly hair. Pooja must be starting to lose her baby teeth now. Ryoo hadn't yet, but was about to, last time she had seen her. She could see how far apart her baby teeth were spread, ready to make room for her permanent ones. By now, she had to have lost most of them and had most of her adult teeth. She wondered if they ever thought of her, or if they even remembered her anymore. Ryoo probably did, but she didn't know about Pooja.

Padme shook her head, sensing Luke looking at her intently. "You ok, mommy?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes, just thinking of some people I used to know", she answered truthfully but vaguely. He gave her a look, but continued eating his food. He was a big fan of fruit spread, getting it all over his fingers and on his cheeks. She smiled as he licked his fingers before picking up his glass and gulping down water. His table manners left much to be desired, and Padme now had a new mission to accomplish as a mother.

"Good morning, everyone", Obi-Wan said pleasantly as he walked in from the back entrance. Padme's initial suspicions had been confirmed - he had been meditating. She narrowed her eyes at him, seeing him wearing his Jedi robes over his "civilian" clothes, as he'd called them yesterday. "It's rather chilly out there, I suggest you either wait a little longer before going out there or put on an overcoat of some sort", he said, clearly not missing her look.

Padme sighed and Dorme smiled at her out of the corner of her eye. He was trying, she'd give him that. Thankfully there was no one around for quite some distance that would see him, at least not in the yard behind the house if they happened to pass by. But still, it was an unnecessary risk. She could only hope he hadn't tried to practice with his lightsaber out there. As if sensing her thoughts he said, "Perfect weather for meditating, though". She sighed in relief, knowing he'd only been out there meditating.

Once breakfast was done, Luke turned to Padme and asked: "Can we go outside? Please?"

"Of course. I actually was hoping that we could take some holos of everything we have growing outside so we can identify it and see what we can eat or not." Obi-Wan and Dorme nodded in agreement - that seemed like something they should tackle sooner rather than later.

"Yay!" Luke started to run for the door before Padme stopped him.

"Not with those nice jammies on you don't, mister", she told him sternly.

"Oh", he said, but she could tell he was still confused. She guessed he must not have had night clothes on Tattooine, or if he did, they must've been called something else.

"Those are only for wearing inside or for going to bed", she explained, squatting down to his level.

"Oh" he said again, but this time she saw the light of understanding in his eyes. "This is amazing!" he said, proudly pulling on the front of the pajamas.

"You should tell Miss Erica thank you, then. She's the one that got them for you".

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" he said rapidly and earnestly.

"You're welcome welcome welcome welcome", Dorme told him back, smiling widely.

"Let's get you changed into something else, alright Luke? Erica and Ben have to change too", she said, holding out her hand.

"Ev'ryone has jammies?" he said looking around the room.

"Yes sir. They're not as amazing as _yours_ , though", she said slyly.

He giggled and started to squirm. "Gotta go peepee first", he said and ran for the fresher.

Dorme waited until he was out of the room before laughing. "He's quite the little character. He's so like, but not like Leia", she said wistfully.

Padme felt a pang in her heart, but smiled through it, "It seems so, doesn't it? Well, I'll get him dressed then", she said, walking to the back of the house.

"I shouldn't have said that out loud", Dorme said sadly. "I didn't think, it just came out".

"She knows it wasn't intentional, my lady", Obi-Wan soothed. He had been warned by Dorme about Padme's possible emotional outbursts due to her situation, the medical portion of which he could understand, but he could not understand her pain at being separated from her children. He knew that she had to have known that if the Order was still around, they would have most likely taken both of her children already. He had never known his own family, the Jedi had been his family, but they were permanently gone, and he did not think that he would see the Order come back in his lifetime. Her children were both still alive, and she had one with her right now. It wasn't that he was unsympathetic, it's that he just couldn't understand why Padme wasn't satisfied with what she did have. He wondered just how much planning she and Anakin had made, if any, about what to do had the children been born under normal circumstances. He had the sneaking suspicion that they hadn't.

Dorme sighed and nodded sadly, heading back to change. He patted her shoulder awkwardly, knowing she was sad for Padme as well. He couldn't sympathize, but that didn't mean he couldn't offer some level of comfort, at least. He supposed the least he could do was make sure not to voice these particular thoughts aloud, as he doubted they would be received well at any point. For now, it seemed as if Luke had bounced back from his ordeal and had accepted his mother quite well, so he would continue on with his original mission - protect, and train when the time came, for the Force told him it would. Not as Yoda had originally envisioned, but it would.


	10. Chapter 10

Once everyone was outside, the awkwardness from earlier dissipated somewhat as everyone's curiosity of their new surroundings took over. Luke wanted to touch everything, and had to be pulled back repeatedly by Padme or Obi-Wan when it came to plants, mostly. They had seen another frog, which had delighted Luke to no end. They came across lizards and birds, which all fled at their approach. Dorme took images with her pad and was going to search for information once they were inside, where there was holonet access. It wasn't the best access, but at least they didn't have to go into town to get it.

The morning was getting warmer as the sun rose higher, and all four stopped in front of a large fire pit outside. Obi-Wan theorized that it was for waste disposal, which would be more economical than having to take several trips to a landfill or waste disposal facility. Padme suddenly realized that Luke was looking at the charred contents in the fireplace with very wide frightened eyes. She immediately knelt down by him and took his shoulders asking "What's wrong?"

It took him a minute to respond, and then he replied with tear-filled eyes: "Unca Owen and Aunt B'ru got burned up. The house was all burned up. Bad guys burned up the house."

She shushed him and held him to her, rubbing his back while he cried quietly. She gave Obi-Wan a look, wondering what he had been thinking taking Luke back to see something like that. She picked Luke up and announced that they had probably done enough exploring for the day. Everyone agreed and walked back to the house.

Once inside, she took Luke to his room and sat on the bed with him on her lap, rocking him gently. He had stopped crying, but now he was spaced out, looking at nothing. He slowly relaxed in her arms, eyes still unfocused, probably reliving the worst moment of his very short life. She cursed Obi-Wan and the entire Galaxy for foisting any kind of heartbreak on her poor little boy. Eventually he pulled out of it and looked up at her with dry, red eyes.

"You ok?" she asked him gently, moving a strand of hair out from in front of his eyes. He nodded slowly and hugged her wordlessly. She squeezed him back and rocked him a little more. He sighed and started to let go, so she did as well. "Want to get some lunch?"

He nodded again and started to slide off her lap. He waited until Padme had stood up and then reached for her hand. She took it and squeezed it lightly, walking back into the kitchen. Dorme had a glass of water waiting for him, knowing his habits already. She made a point of not looking at Luke and making him feel self-conscious. Padme noticed that Obi-Wan was nowhere in sight. That was probably for the best at this moment.

Once lunch was over, Luke seemed to be in slightly better spirits, albeit a little tired. Padme made sure he went to the fresher before he went to sleep. She laid down with him again and stroked his hair until he fell asleep, neither of them saying anything, just taking comfort in each other's company. Once she was sure he was asleep, she walked out of the room, intent on laying into Obi-Wan.

The man in question was in the kitchen, putting his used dishes in the washing unit. "Not in here - outside, please", he said tightly, probably knowing what was coming before she had even stepped into the room. Damn Jedi.

They walked through the house and out the back, the tension between them palpable. Once they were out far enough that the sound wouldn't carry, Padme rounded on him: "What were you thinking? You knew enough to take him out of danger, and yet you took him back to the farm? What if there had been someone waiting there to see who came back and went after you?"

"I had no choice, Padme", he said tightly and defensively. She had never seen Obi-Wan look like this before, and while she was somewhat glad to see some sort of emotion from him, she wasn't sure that she liked what she was going to hear next. "There was no way that I was going to leave a three year old child unsupervised in a strange environment. What if he had hurt himself while I was gone? What if Tusken Raiders had shown up while I was out?" She shuddered at the mention of the Tuskens, remembering what they had done to poor Shmi.

"Surely there had to have been some other way, weren't there farmers nearby that could have watched him for you?" she pressed, still not willing to let it go.

"No, that would not have been advisable. If word had gotten back to any of those Imperials that anyone else that was supposed to be at that farm wasn't, then not only would Luke have been in danger, but whoever had been harboring him would as well. I waited for two days, until I was sure that there was no more Imperial presence," he held up a hand to silence her before she could ask him how he knew they were gone. "There are emergency comms that the farmers use to send out short messages regarding Tusken raids, sand storms, and the like. I monitored the chatter, which mentioned that they had been gone and not come back."

Padme sagged some, not knowing how to feel anymore. She was angry, but she couldn't really be angry at Obi-Wan anymore. It was another horrible situation, and she should just be glad that Luke was alright. "I took him with me when I went back to the farm. I was hoping I'd be able to salvage at least one change of clothes or one toy or something of his. But, the place was completely razed and burnt to the ground. Those poor farmers had been struck dead for no other reason than for existing. Palpatine wanted to make sure that all traces of Anakin Skywalker were gone. Even the headstones had been crushed into pieces," he finished somberly.

At this point, Padme felt horrible for having said anything to him at all. She felt so guilty that it ate her up. This entire mess could have been laid at her feet if she really thought about it. "I might as well have killed them myself", she said sadly.

"No, Padme. This had nothing to do with your or me, or Luke for that matter. This had everything to do with Palpatine solidifying his hold over Vader", Obi-Wan stated firmly.

Padme didn't have the heart to tell him that she suspected it was more likely that Anakin himself had ordered the attack on the Lars farm. She didn't know if Obi-Wan knew about Anakin and the Tuskens, but she did, and she also remembered the murderous looks that Anakin had been throwing at his stepfamily. She remembered him ranting and raving about how _they_ hadn't done enough, and it was _their_ fault that _his_ mother was dead. She had no doubt that he would've filed that away and gone ahead with eliminating them if he felt like it. Anakin could hold a grudge for longer than anyone she had ever met before. But she didn't have it in her to bait Obi-Wan again. He looked guilt-stricken enough as it was, and this situation was most certainly not his fault. He had gone back there with good intentions, and for better or for worse, Luke knew that his guardians were gone. She didn't know if that was better than him asking for them and if he could go back home or not, wondering why he had been taken away. Maybe this was for the best after all.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I shouldn't have just assumed the worst", she said contritely. "It seems that all Anakin or I do is bring you pain".

Obi-Wan snorted, "No, what you brought was trouble. Anakin brought pain". A beat. "And trouble".

She certainly couldn't disagree with that assessment. All of her good intentions tended to bring disaster, however unintentional. She rubbed her eyes and temples, feeling a headache coming on. She needed to get control of herself. "I'm so sorry, Obi-Wan. I'm such a mess, I know I'm not good company right now and I wish more than anything that I could fix all of this...this... _mess_ ", she finishes on a ragged breath.

"My lady, you are experiencing three years' worth of acclimation, plus exile, a new existence, and your new role as a mother. I'd say that entitles you to be a little bit of a...mess...right now", he said carefully.

Padme knew she'd been forgiven. Obi-Wan always forgave. She cursed herself for lashing out again at the one person who had always pulled her out of jams of her own making and forgave her for it time and again. She felt something soothing and warm course through her suddenly, and she knew that Obi-Wan was somehow doing something with the Force. She took her hands from her face and looked at him. "How is it that you can be so comforting right now, when you have lost everything and just had your life ripped apart again?" she asks shakily.

"Padme, right now, all you need to worry about is being strong for your son. Let me be strong for you. I know that you will come out of this stronger than before, and then you will repay me the favor in my moment of weakness". He gave her a small smile - a truce, one that should never had had to be extended if not for her behavior.

She let her tears come and hugged him tightly. Obi-Wan stiffened at first, not quite sure what to do with this level of contact. That only made her cry harder, that this kind, wonderful man had never experienced a truly heartfelt hug. She wondered how anyone could've denied a child that level of affection and then instilled in them a sense of rejecting it for themselves for the rest of their lives. He eventually put his arms around her and sagged a little, both of them holding on to each other, fellow victims of events bigger than they were.

Padme felt another wave of peace go through her, and she wondered at how it didn't seem inappropriate coming from Obi-Wan. She had admonished Anakin on many occasions to never use the Force on her, in any circumstances, including in bed. What did it say about her that she couldn't trust her own husband as well as his best friend? Had she truly been in such a state of denial, childishly thinking that her love could save him? She could feel Obi-Wan start to pull away, and she wiped her eyes, thoroughly exhausted, but cleansed. He put his arm around her waist and helped lead her back to the house.

Once they were in her room, he helped her to sit on the bed and pulled away. She called to him before he left, and he turned to face her. "How did you manage three years by yourself with this?" she asked him, in awe of his resilience and willpower. "What made it better for you?"

Obi-wan gave her a small, sad smile. "Time, my lady. Just time". With that, he took his leave.

She should've expected that answer, given that she had already known the it deep in her heart. She took a sip from the water bottle on her nightstand and took several deep breaths. She heard the shuffling of feet again, and saw Luke standing at the foot of her bed, still half-asleep.

Padme didn't know if he had sensed her being upset and that she needed someone to hold, or if maybe he'd had a nightmare and needed reassurance himself. She scooped him up without a word, marveling at how light he was, and lay him down with her, both of them curling into each other. She put her head over his, inhaling his scent and committing it to memory. She didn't know if it was a residual feeling from Obi-Wan's use of the Force earlier, or if Luke brought it out in her, but she felt peace flow through her as she finally fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

The next several weeks saw quite a few changes occur in the Dantooine farm house. Luke had come more out of his shell, and had gone through a phase of saying "Mommy" every chance he got, once he realized that Padme really was his mother and that she wasn't going to leave him anytime soon. Luckily, that had tapered off now, and this gave Padme mixed feelings. Relief, since it had gotten a little annoying, and also sadness. While she was grateful to her late in-laws for taking care of her son while she had been incapacitated, she was also resentful of the fact that they had not adopted him and called him "son", seeming to keep him at arm's distance. On the other hand, this had eliminated any confusion as to who Luke's parent really was, and allowed him to bond to Padme much more quickly than he would have otherwise. In her darker moments, she was glad that things had worked out that way, and she hoped that neither Luke nor Obi-Wan were around to pick up such thoughts, although she suspected that Obi-Wan had figured that out a while ago.

During those same darker moments, usually after she had put Luke to bed and inevitably wondered what his life would have been like had she actually died or not woken up, all manner of horrible scenarios went through her mind. Would he have been singled out by his peers for being an orphan? Would he have tried to find his father later, desperately seeking a parent? And that's when her thoughts turned really dark - would he have joined his father? Would Palpatine kill him or make him into another monster? Would the Jedi have prevailed and him slay his own father? She was thankful again that none of these events would now transpire.

As for Luke himself, he was more talkative in general, and seemed to be brighter and happier every day. Dorme had procured a few toys for him, which he played with very carefully. Obviously the Lars hadn't had a lot of money, so one of the good things they had impressed on him early enough was to take care of his toys. Padme had also gotten him a coloring set after she had seen him drawing in the dirt with sticks outside. He had drawn picture after picture of green blobs that slowly started to resemble the frog that Luke enthusiastically claimed it was. This had inspired Dorme to get him a towel with a hood that was a frog's head. Luke had squealed with delight and hugged Dorme so hard her eyes had almost popped out of her skull. Luke refused to use the towel for its intended purpose, and instead snuggled with it at night, having finally found a comfort toy. On rainy days, he put the hood on his head and ran through the house yelling "Super Frog!" with the towel trailing behind him like a cape. Padme chuckled to herself and wondered what he would think if he met Master Yoda, seeing as there was a slight resemblance. She made sure that Obi-Wan was nowhere around when she had those thoughts.

Obi-Wan had had to finally shave off his beard and mustache if he wanted to be allowed out into town. He was too recognizable otherwise. Dorme was also a proficient hairstylist, and had trimmed it neat and short for him, as well as dying it a non-descript brown, which seemed to suit him nonetheless. He had taken to accompanying Dorme on her trips into town in order to familiarize himself with it and to get more information on what was going on in the Galaxy. They had had to buy coats for all of them and warmer clothing, since the cold season was starting to come to this part of Dantooine. Luke was especially sad to see all the trees lose their leaves, and was more reluctant to go outside, due to being the least used to any kind of cool weather.

More than once, Padme was glad that she had set up her secret accounts, as the timing of their arrival meant no income from the farm. At least they were set up with blankets and books and warm boots and socks.

Dorme would be leaving in just a few days, and while Padme would miss her, she also knew that it was necessary for her to leave so as not to arouse suspicion with her long absence, which was currently being explained away as an illness in the family. Which in a way, had been sort of true, since they considered themselves sisters. And selfishly, Padme also needed Dorme to send her information on Leia covertly, since having a direct link to Bail was too dangerous at the moment.

Dorme and Obi-Wan had grown pretty close in the last month or so, and Padme was sure that he would not have allowed her to change his hair, yet allowed Dorme to do so. While Padme was not known for being a matchmaker, she would not have been opposed to pushing those two together. But, she didn't think that Obi-Wan would ever be able to give up seeing himself as a Jedi. He had already given up everything else. Time would only tell what he would do.

As for Padme herself, her crying jags had become less frequent, for which she was thankful. She supposed that getting into a new routine was helping her, even if it was hard to accept that her entire previous existence had been obliterated. A simple holonet search for her name showed only that she had been a former senator who died under scandalous circumstances, causing all of her work to be removed from public view for eternity. She knew she wasn't supposed to hate, but that had made her hate Palpatine more than anything else. She had cried inconsolably for hours after finding that out. She was glad to have found that out after she had left Alderaan, for she had no idea what she would've done being so close to Coruscant at that time. As it was, she just told herself that Palpatine had better watch out, as revenge was always a dish best served cold, and she was more than willing to be the one to serve it.

Obi-Wan had found them a decent speeder to use, since Dorme was taking the shuttle back to Alderaan, via the original route they had arrived at. Luke had hugged Dorme goodbye and made her promise repeatedly that she would come by and visit. Obi-Wan had tried to be stoic and pretend that it didn't bother him, but they all knew better.

Padme walked with her out to the shuttle, sadly eyeing the lowered ramp. "I truly wish you didn't have to go, Dorme", she said sadly, willing herself not to cry. "I truly can't tell her just how much I appreciate you and how much I'm in your debt."

"It's not goodbye forever, my lady", Dorme said, taking Padme's hands in her own, and fighting tears as well. "You knew this day was coming, and I will come back and visit. That is a promise".

They hugged long and hard, both losing their battles with tears. "Please do take care, Dorme", Padme said seriously. "Don't endanger yourself on my account. If you can't come, I will understand. I couldn't bear it if I lost you for good".

"You won't be rid of me that easily, my lady", Dorme said with a wink. She walked up the ramp and turned back one more time, waving at Padme, and then at Luke and Obi-Wan who stood at the door of the farmhouse, it being too cold for Luke to stand being outside for too long. They waved back.

Padme moved back to stand with her little family as they watched the shuttle take off and disappear into the sky. They stood there for a few more moments in silence, and then Padme broke it, announcing: "She'll be back. She'd better, or else".


	12. Chapter 12

After Dorme had left, there was a slight melancholy throughout the house, but it started to dissipate once a few days had passed. It seemed like there was a mutual unspoken understanding between all three of the home's occupants that this was how things were supposed to be. As the days grew colder and shorter, they became closer and started to notice the little things about each other. Things which made Padme look back on her old life with Anakin more closely.

Padme and Anakin had really never gotten to truly live with each other and notice all the nuances that made up the sum of the parts of each individual. She had complained that Luke's room lacked organization when she had seen little parts and pieces of machinery laying about in piles. Obi-Wan had remarked that while it had seemed random to him at first, that there was some strange logic that Luke and Anakin possessed when it came to mechanical things. The piles had reminded him of his and Anakin's shared quarters. That had brought her up short. They had been so careful to make sure no one knew about their secret marriage, that nothing personal of Anakin's could have been left around in case someone should stumble across it. This was yet another area in which Obi-Wan had known her husband better than she.

She had also had another discussion with Obi-Wan, one in which she had told him about Anakin's disdain for democracy in particular, and his latent fascist beliefs. She had simply thought him naive at the time, thinking that a singular titular head of government made sense to him due to its simplicity. Looking back now, she should have taken that particular argument more seriously, not to mention his constant complaints about politicians. For all that Obi-Wan had complained about politicians and his distrust of them, he would have been a natural one, and she wondered if he hadn't been a Jedi if he would have become one. If not, she could see him being an outstanding public defender, knowing that his sense of duty and negotiating abilities could have coincided there.

Padme had also had to revise several of her previously held beliefs about the Jedi in general. After a few discussions with Obi-Wan about how things actually were in the Temple from his point of view, she started to realize that her perspective was misguided in several regards. She had mostly based her views based off of Anakin's complaints and observations. Even though she had tried to be open-minded, her rational mind now realized that she had internalized his biased complaints at the time, if only because she had loved him so much and resented that the Order had caused him so much pain. But, the truth was, just because she had been married to a Jedi, it didn't mean that she had any clearer picture of what it truly was like to be a Jedi than the average non-Force-sensitive. It didn't help matters that the Jedi were so secretive and composed all of the time. This allowed for them to be easy scapegoats, but the choice to marginalize themselves and secrete themselves from the larger Galaxy was most definitely their fault. Palpatine only took advantage of a pre-existing situation and pushed it to his advantage. The war had only further lowered the public's general perception of the Jedi, and since she was personally affected, it had affected her as well. She knew now that Anakin's views were more suspect than even she had thought possible, and she had made an effort to be more conciliatory towards Obi-Wan.

Padme and Luke had grown quite close already, and he regularly gave her kisses on the cheek and allowed her to touch him freely. There were still shaky moments here and there, mostly whenever there was whining involved. It seemed that he knew that that was something his mother could not tolerate, and he was pushing the boundaries. She knew that this was a perfectly normal thing for any child to do, but one such as her son, who had undergone chaos at such a pivotal moment in his life, was more prone to do. She had never liked whining as a general rule, and she disliked it even more now since it tended to remind her of Anakin. Not that she would ever let Luke know that, since he wouldn't understand. Most of the whining centered around bedtime, and if she was honest, she remembered her sister Sola having the most behavioral issues with her girls over the same thing. So, she practiced patience and made sure to be stern, but not cruel, when asserting her parental authority.

Luke was mostly very easy to care for. He could entertain himself for long stretches of time, either drawing or using his imagination. She surmised he'd had to do so more than once back on Tattooine, since both Owen and Beru would have had plenty of chores to do throughout the day. Padme could remember when she had had to entertain herself on several occasions as a child in the mountain village. Mostly it was when her parents and sister were doing something that would have been too dangerous or age-inappropriate for her. She couldn't remember whining about anything though, but she also knew that that could be selective memory on her part.

It was about two weeks after Dorme had left when they received their first guest. Startled, Padme had initially panicked, but calmed down once Obi-Wan had told her he felt no ill-intent through the Force. He had still taken Luke from the main living area though, just to be safe, as she went to answer the door. In front of her was a middle-aged woman, probably another farmer, with a stern face, but kind eyes. She was bundled up with a fur coat and hood, as it was still early in the morning, and the wind was quite strong and cold. Padme shivered and let the woman in.

"Good morning, neighbor", the woman said in a friendly manner. "My name is Rosa Jintin, and I live with my husband Mikhail not too far from here. Since you hadn't introduced yourselves yet, I thought I would go ahead and do so myself."

Padme shook the woman's hand and gave her a smile, seeing she was harmless indeed, and cursed herself for her lack of initiative in getting to know her neighbors earlier. "Very nice to meet you Rosa. My name is Anna Thule, and I live here with my son Luke and my brother Ben. Please, let me take your coat for you", she offered.

"Thank you", Rosa said, handing her the coat. Underneath she had on a fairly sturdy reddish brown woven tunic and a pair of thick brown pants. Padme was absolutely convinced now that there was no other color of pants available here. "If you don't mind me being too forward, what happened to the other lady that was here?"

"My sister, Erica", Padme supplied, offering Rosa a seat at the table. "She helped us settle in but had to go back to work", she stated truthfully. "You will probably see her again in the future, as she will come visit us as promised."

"Ah, good. Perhaps you'll introduce us then", Rosa smiled. Padme got up to pour her guest some tea, a little taken aback by just how forward this woman was. There was probably no one around for quite some distance, and she imagined that this poor woman must get bored on a regular basis. She came back with a warm mug and set it in front of Rosa with a smile.

"What can I do for you?" Padme asked, deciding to be just as forward. If the woman was just snooping, she could make sure to dismiss her and keep an eye out in the future. Besides, this was good practice for their cover story.

"Here's my comm number", Rosa said without preamble, shocking Padme yet again. "My husband and I live closer to the lake, which is still quite a distance from here. You need to get to know your neighbors around here, in case something happens, since you won't necessarily be able to get to town in time. Not to mention, it's just common courtesy to let your neighbors be aware of any dangers you know of beforehand."

"Oh, of course, I'm so sorry I hadn't thought of that before", Padme said, still reeling from being caught off-guard. She fished for her datapad and found her comm number and gave it to Rosa. She could appreciate the woman's business-like demeanor. It made sense now. She remembered Obi-Wan telling her of the comm system the farmers had used on Tattooine as well.

"No problem. Sorry I don't have much time to chat, I'm on the way into town myself, and decided to stop off at the last minute. I should warn you though about the lake. I wouldn't let the little one go over there unsupervised for any reason."

"Of course not!" Padme said, affronted.

"I mean no insult. That lake might freeze over, but it never makes a thick enough layer of ice where people can just go stand or skate on it. I don't even know if it would take your little one's weight, but I'm sure you don't want to test that theory", she stated seriously.

"Oh, well then I am very glad that you came by with that warning. I had considered taking Luke ice-skating there and possibly sledding when the snow comes."

Rosa had already picked up her coat and was shrugging into it: "It's very rare to get snow. And when we do it hardly ever sticks. Rainy seasons are fall and spring. You get occasional summer rains, but winter tends to be the driest. But just because there's no snow doesn't mean it doesn't get cold. Can't even tell you how many people forget that and lose fingers or toes to frostbite."

"Thank you so much for your advice. I will most certainly keep it in mind", Padme said sincerely, walking her to the door.

Rosa put her hood on and shook Padme's hand again: "No problem, neighbor. Any problems, you just comm me. I know there's going to be some serious adjusting once you actually have to start doing the farm work. Just make sure to take precautions against the cold and you should be fine". And with that, she was out the door, without even waving or looking back.

Padme shut the door, mindful of the cold air blowing in. She was still stunned at the exchange. It was short and business-like, much like she remembered Owen Lars as being. She supposed that this was how all farmers must interact with each other then. She had thought she would have had an easier time blending in to a different world, but Obi-Wan would have handled that exchange better, since he'd actually had more experience dealing with farmers. She suddenly missed her old apartment more than ever. She missed having her handmaidens around, not having to cook for herself, having beautiful clothes. She had been so privileged, and while she had known that, rationally, she hadn't realized to just what extent she would end up missing her old life. The two men in the house were better equipped than she was to handle this new reality.

Luke came bounding in asking: "Who was that, Mommy?" While he seldom spoke of his guardians, she knew that he was still wary of strangers due to what had happened to them. Thus far, he still had not expressed any interest in going into town. He was still a little paranoid, but she supposed it would only be a matter of time before that loosened up.

"One of our neighbors, baby", she said ruffling his hair, "nothing to worry about."

Obi-Wan had materialized as well now, rubbing his chin, "Typical farm wife. Just doing her neighborly duty. It's how they survive - know as much about each other as possible as quickly as possible. There's no time to really have long philosophical discussions", he said with a smirk.

"Yes, well, from the sound of things, I doubt we'll have much time for those either once we start tending to the land", she replied, relaxing some now that it was just the three of them again. "She did warn us against the lake, so that is something to keep in mind".

"Yes, I heard that as well. I wonder if there's any prohibition on fishing though?" Obi-Wan wondered.

"Oh, fresh fish!" Padme exclaimed. "That does sound wonderful, doesn't it?"

"Fish? Like in the story?" Luke asked. "We gonna get a pet?" He seemed awfully excited about that idea.

"Oh no, for eating, my friend", Obi-Wan said, rubbing his hands to keep them warm. They'd need to adjust the furnace again - it wasn't heating evenly.

Luke was horrified at the idea, and Padme went to change the subject. "How do you feel about helping me make some bread for lunch?"

A gasp, "Really?" She nodded. "Yes, Mommy!" He ran into the kitchen excitedly. She had discovered that her son truly enjoyed helping her make food, especially bread. She winked at Obi-Wan and went to make sure Luke didn't start on anything without her there first.

Once lunch was done and Padme made sure that Luke was napping, she went back to the kitchen to find Obi-Wan reading his datapad. She was still feeling a little uneasy after her encounter earlier. She jumped when the comm pinged. It was a message from Rosa, simply stating "Test". Obi-Wan merely plucked the comm and typed back "Received" and put it right back in its previous spot, just as placidly as could be.

Padme blinked, and then asked: "Are you sure it's ok? How can we know she is to be trusted and that she's not after something else?"

Obi-Wan merely looked at her calmly and spoke as matter-of-factly as he could: "I understand your current level of paranoia", and held up a hand as he saw her get ready to protest, "as I was there myself at the beginning of my exile. I had thought that I could get along just fine by myself, but I was put in my place by a farmer by the name of Darklighter who explained to me just how difficult their lives really were. They are naturally distrustful of outsiders, so they try to find out the most important things about their new neighbors first, and then details later. It is a survival strategy - no man is an island. They may prefer not to be around other people, but they know that they cannot survive without them either. Sometimes holonet access cuts out, or if a storm comes, a warning from a neighbor comes more quickly than any centralized information source can provide. There is no danger from that woman."

Padme digested his statements for a moment and then put her elbows on the table, looking him straight in the eye: "I know that I have much to learn about just how to operate in this environment, but I hope that you realize that some paranoia is justified. Given what just happened on Tattooine, we can never be too certain."

"Of course, we must always be vigilant. Notice that the woman only exchanged comm numbers, she wasn't fishing for a dinner invitation, or any other information about us, or where we came from. I suggest that you prepare yourself for other visitors, as I'm sure that word will now spread about what little she does know about us", Obi-Wan stated reasonably.

She sighed and looked at her fingernails, picking at the dried skin that was flaking off around her cuticles. She wondered what her previously manicured hands would look like in the next year. "You're right", she conceded. "I just don't want us to get too comfortable, is all. Complacency is what did us in before, after all."

"Perish the thought", Obi-Wan said, going back to his datapad, seeming to be completely unruffled by their latest exchange. Damn Jedi.


	13. Chapter 13

Obi-Wan wasn't wrong about the neighbors pouring in after Rosa had introduced herself. Padme was now on speaking terms with five other families, including one, the Stone family, which had a son a few years older than Luke. As far as all the farmers knew, Ben Kenobi was living with his sister and nephew, helping them out since she had been recently widowed due to a house fire where her husband had perished. No one had asked for any further details, thankfully, and Padme and Mrs. Stone had agreed to let their boys have a play date at some point in the future.

Padme didn't jump at the comm every time it went off anymore, mostly because she was getting used to it, and also so she wouldn't have to see Obi-Wan's poorly concealed smirk every time it happened. Luke didn't bat an eye at the sound of the comm going off, having heard it for his whole life. As long as the adults weren't telling him to go somewhere and take shelter, he kept on doing whatever he was doing, especially if it was eating. Several very useful messages had come over the comm, letting them know when it looked like severe winds were coming and it was best to stay indoors. Occasionally, trivial messages would come across, such as when someone would find out about some rare item being in stock in town. This was Obi-Wan's cue not to go into town lest he be confronted with swarms of bustling farmers and upping the chances of being recognized.

Obi-Wan still did his morning meditations, no matter the weather. He also made sure to check the perimeters and dispose of any waste in the fire pit. Padme had looked out the window on more than one occasion and seen him seated with his eyes closed by the fire to keep warm. These morning sessions also allowed him to be able to add his own comms to the pool, such as letting the other farmers know if he had seen animal tracks, like kath-hound ones, which were taken very thankfully by farmers with animals. It seemed like they had been accepted as part of the farming society here.

Obi-Wan tried to go into town every two weeks or so, mimicking his routine of sorts on Tattooine. He kept to himself for the most part, nodding politely to anyone he recognized, but making no move to engage in any kind of conversation. It seemed that even though he had been accepted by the community, he still had a ways to go before he was trusted completely, which suited his purposes just fine. He was there, he wasn't a threat, someone who was just a part of the background. Yes, that suited him just fine. During these visits, he would catch little pieces of what was happening in the rest of the Galaxy. He and Padme had agreed to not watch holonews at the house so as not to involve Luke unnecessarily. The less he knew about all of that right now, the better. From what Obi-Wan had gathered so far, it seemed like the Empire was only growing stronger. The last remaining Separatist hold-outs were being demolished, one by one, and these were not poorly-armed adversaries. Any thoughts about any kind of rebellion at this point would have been suicidal and counterproductive. Patience was the key at this juncture.

Padme was quite pleased with Luke's table manners after some training. He didn't chew with his mouth open anymore, and she could tell that this pleased Obi-Wan to no end. She noticed that her son tended to respond better when being praised for doing the right thing, versus being reprimanded. When there was any negativity being directed at him, Luke would seem to shrink in on himself and shut down. She wondered more than once just how he had been treated with the Lars, or if this was just his personality. Luke was slow to anger, but when he did, it was sharp and quick. She tried not to flinch whenever he got frustrated or angry since she knew she could not blame him for anything that Anakin had done. Most of the times he got frustrated were when she expected him to explain things to her, and he simply didn't have the language skills necessary to express himself. Words would come tumbling out and then he would freeze and more often than not stomp his feet and yell at her to "Leave me alone!" He would always be horrified after his outbursts and would tearfully apologize. She hoped that as he got older and his vocabulary increased, that these outbursts would be less frequent. They were very infrequent as it was, but they were no less pleasant for it.

On one of the days that Obi-Wan was in town, Padme decided to go into the garage and start sorting through all the tools in there. After having done research into everything that had been growing on her land, she wanted to get everything ready for when the warmer weather came. She brought Luke in there with her, not wanting to leave him in the farmhouse with no adult supervision. She had just started to move a large sack of granulated fertilizer out of its corner, when something darted out from behind it and dashed throughout the garage. Startled, she screamed and dropped the bag, causing Luke to jump as well.

The creature finally settled down after having jumped on a machine whose purpose neither she nor Obi-Wan could figure out. Padme put her hand over her heart, feeling it start to slow down again once she realized it was nothing more than a cat. It had most likely sought refuge from the cold in here and was probably eating any pests that had the same idea. Luke was instantly entranced, she could tell. "Pitten!" he said, eyes full of stars. "Biggs had one, an' it was sooo nice. Mommy, can we keep it?" he asked her, giving her puppy dog eyes. He, like his sister, had enormous eyes, and he used them to full advantage.

 _So, fighting dirty, are we?_ She thought to herself and grimaced. She looked at the cat, and saw its decrepit condition - it was thin and had matted fur. It didn't seem feral, just wary of the beings that had invaded what she was sure it thought of as its space. She wondered if it had been there this whole time and had managed to avoid detection until now.

Luke had already moved closer to the cat, holding his hand out for it to sniff. She hoped the cat would scratch him just enough that he would reconsider, but squashed that line of thought immediately, wondering when she had become so capable of mean-spirited thoughts. Surprisingly, the cat didn't show any hostility towards her son - it sniffed his hand and eventually rubbed its face against his fingers. It seemed her little boy had a gift with animals. The cat eventually let Luke pet it and settled down, the purrs it made vibrating through the machine below it. Luke was in heaven. She sighed, knowing she'd never be able to say no now. She sent a comm to Obi-Wan, asking for a few supplies that would be necessary to help this creature be in an acceptable state for its new role in their family. Besides, she rationalized, it could probably earn its keep by eating pests.

Obi-Wan hadn't questioned the odd requests made by Padme. He could guess that they had probably encountered some animal they were trying to help. As he brought the supplies into the house, he felt his nose water at the change in temperature. It was downright cold outside, which had kept most people from going into town, and that was how he preferred it. He took off his coat and wiped his nose. He heard voices coming from the fresher and made his way over. He saw Luke and Padme sitting on the edge of the tub, and when he peered down into it, made eye contact with Sith-yellow eyes. He repressed an involuntary shudder.

"Hi Ben!" Luke chirped cheerfully. "This is our new pet, Petey!" he said excitedly.

Padme gave Obi-Wan a guilty smile and stood up, squeezing his arm on the way out. "Don't worry, Ben. You won't have to do anything, Luke and I will take care of getting Petey cleaned up here". She made her way to the kitchen island and started looking for the things she had requested. Obi-Wan and this creature they had called _Petey_ continued to stare at each other, and he couldn't help but feel that he had been judged and found wanting. The feeling was mutual. Luke, on the other hand, was oblivious: "Mommy said we're gonna clean him up and then he'll be happy and eat the mice and bugs in the house."

 _Ah, so this is how she's rationalizing this._ "That's very nice, Luke", he said neutrally. _How very Qui-Gon of you Luke, taking in pathetic life forms._

He backed out of the fresher as Padme returned and let them get to work. He did _not_ want to get roped into _this_ exercise. Obi-Wan sighed and went back to the kitchen to put up all of the foodstuffs he had brought. As an afterthought, he pulled out the medi-kit and left it on the island, just in case it should be needed.

A few hours later, after having endured hearing some truly pathetic-sounding mewling and vague comforting noises, Obi-Wan looked up to see Padme emerge from the fresher with a balled-up towel being held as far in front of her as she could reach. "Garbage", she said simply and walked it to the garage. Obi-Wan didn't question it. He heard the hair-drying unit going and actually started to feel some sympathy for the poor creature named Petey. Curiosity got the better of him and he walked back to the fresher to see the animal looking quite smug and relaxed as Luke was holding the dryer towards its fur. It was actually not a bad-looking animal, now that it was clean and its fur was brushed out. It was a reddish-orange, not too far off from Obi-Wan's natural hair color.

"Petey looks pretty now, huh, Ben?" Luke asked proudly.

"I'll say he looks a lot better than he did", Obi-Wan said truthfully. He had a feeling that this creature would earn its keep at first, and then get lazy and be fed by the humans once it had wormed its way into their hearts. He looked back at the cat and could have sworn that it was smirking at him.


	14. Chapter 14

Padme woke up with a gasp, fingers clawing at her throat, trying convulsively to get in air. Her feet kicked at her covers and she panicked more, shaking so hard she thought she would fall apart. She finally realized that she wasn't on Mustafar, she was in her bed - it had been a nightmare. _Only a nightmare._ She forced herself to control her breathing, taking deep gasping breaths that soon became harsh breaths instead. She took her hands from her throat and brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and started rocking back and forth. She soothed herself like this for a while, letting her current surroundings seep into her consciousness, calming her further. Once she was sure she could stand without falling over, she walked into her fresher and washed the sweat off her face. Her hands were still shaking, but not as badly. She wondered what could have caused that nightmare to finally come about. She had thought that being around Obi-Wan would have set it off before she had arrived on Dantooine, but that hadn't happened until tonight. Then it hit her - the cat - the yellow eyes. She snorted and covered her mouth, stifling a hysterical laugh. A _cat_ had set her off. A truly pathetic-looking specimen that had decided to give all of its loyalty to her son.

Her breathing was mostly back to normal, so she decided to get some tea to help her get back to sleep. She rounded the corner and peeked into Luke's room. She saw him sleeping on his belly, one arm around Super Frog, Petey curled up on his other side. The cat barely acknowledged her presence, blinking slowly at her and then closing its eyes completely. She sighed in relief, at least Luke hadn't picked up on her distress. Unlike either of his parents, Luke slept like the dead, and at this moment she was most grateful for that trait, no matter where it had come from.

Padme padded softly to the kitchen, trying to not to wake Obi-Wan, only to see that he was already sitting at the table with two mugs in front of him. _Damn Jedi_ , she thought affectionately.

He gave her a weak smile, and she immediately felt guilty. "I'm so sorry Obi-Wan! Did my nightmare wake you?"

"On the contrary, my lady. I was already awake by the time I noticed your distress. I do believe our new houseguest has had the same effect on both of us", he soothed her.

She could only nod in acknowledgement. They sat in silence for a while - neither wanted to speak of Mustafar, but knew that this subject had to be approached at some time or another. It seemed that fate or destiny had decided that now was the time. Obi-Wan took a deep breath, and Padme braced herself.

"I suppose I should apologize to you for having snuck onboard your vessel. I had no idea that Anakin would attack you of all people. He seemed to love you above all else. I am so, so sorry, Padme", he said sadly.

She saw the guilt clearly written on his face and felt her heart go out to him. "I failed Anakin, and thus I failed you, almost costing you your life and your children's as well. My failure cost the Jedi Order and the Republic. I am so very sorry".

No, he couldn't be apologizing for something he was not responsible for. She knew now that she had to tell him the truth about why Anakin had turned. Obi-Wan may have been unaffectionate and unable to give Anakin all that he needed emotionally, but he was _not_ responsible for Anakin's turn. She took a deep shaky breath of her own, and decided to unburden both of them: "I will accept your apology for going onto my ship _without_ my consent. That was truly unnecessary. But I will not accept your apology for Anakin's turn to the Dark Side. That was probably more my fault than anyone else's". Obi-Wan started and he looked at her with questioning eyes. She steeled herself and went on.

"Anakin and I got married in secret right after Geonosis. We had been lying to you since then. Please accept my apology for that, first of all. For, I believe that that secret was what truly made it to where you could not have been able to help Anakin no matter what you did."

Obi-Wan sighed sadly, but he didn't seem surprised. She decided to keep going, since the man had suffered enough for both her and Anakin to last several lifetimes.

"When you got back from rescuing _Palpatine_ from Dooku", she ground the name out distastefully, "I had told Anakin that I was pregnant. He started to have nightmares that very night, visions of me dying in childbirth. Visions like when his mother had died." She swallowed hard and tried not to notice Obi-Wan flinch. He had known that Anakin's mother had died and there was clearly still guilt over how he had disregarded Anakin's premonitions. "I had begged him to tell you of what was happening to him, to tell you about us, that you would help, but he wouldn't hear of it. He thought you would turn him over to the Council and that they would do nothing about it, and just let me die. I kept reassuring him that there was no reason for me to die, that I was perfectly healthy, but he was obsessed with finding a way to _save_ me. He told me that he would do whatever it took to make sure of it. I just didn't think that he would do what he did. He told me that Palpatine had promised him the power to save people from death, and that only his new _powers_ could save me." She stopped, choking on a sob, remembering how horrified she had been at that moment at what had become of her husband. She had been in denial up to that moment, hoping against hope that Obi-Wan had been mistaken, even though she had known just what Anakin was capable of.

Obi-Wan kept looking resolutely down at his mug of tea, picking at a little piece of plastic wrapping that was still stubbornly clinging onto it due to static.

"I'm not truly angry with you over sneaking onto my ship now", she admitted, hoping to alleviate his distress some. "Granted, you came out at an unfortunate moment, but if I'm honest with myself, if it hadn't been at that moment, he would've attacked me some other time. He was not Anakin anymore, or at least not the Anakin that I knew and loved. I can't imagine what would have happened had he taken me back with him to Palpatine, what would have become of my children. My love wasn't enough for him at that moment, and it hadn't been enough before that either. He was obsessed with my death and getting enough power to keep his own fear from being realized."

She sniffled some more and dabbed at her eyes, waiting for Obi-Wan to say something. The only thing he said was: "I wish you could have told me sooner. I would have helped you. It would not have been my place to tell the Council. I would have made sure that he had done that himself, eventually", he finished sadly. "I just can't believe he let himself be deceived by the Sith".

Something inside of Padme snapped at that. "No, Obi-Wan, he wasn't _deceived_. He _chose_ to do what he did. I've heard you mention that the Dark Side is the quick and easy path to get what you want - and that was what he chose. He _chose_ to believe Palpatine because Palpatine was giving him what seemed like the easy solution - a guarantee. He _chose_ not to go to you for help, he _chose_ not to listen to me, he _chose_ to attack me, he _chose_ Palpatine over you and me. Anakin and Anakin alone is responsible for _his_ choices." The anger she felt at Anakin was beyond words at this point, but she drove her point further, getting to the real heart of her anger: "He _wasn't_ some kind of passive victim when it came to joining Palpatine. However, he assumed that _I_ was, that _you_ had turned me against him, as if _I_ had no agency of my own and couldn't have found his decisions repulsive for myself. That is what truly makes me angry - that in the end he thought so little of me that he thought that _I_ was being manipulated. That I had brought you there to kill him. He didn't even let me explain that I had _not_ brought you on board my ship. I know now that he wouldn't have listened no matter what. Palpatine had told him what he wanted to hear, and anything other than what he wanted to hear was considered akin to betraying him."

Obi-Wan sat in stunned silence. He had assumed that Anakin had turned for other reasons, and that Palpatine had to have manipulated the boy he had raised for him to have done what he did. He felt ashamed of his simplistic rationalization, for he had removed Anakin's own agency from the equation. In faulting himself for having failed Anakin, he was doing the same thing. He didn't know what to say to all of this, it seemed like everything that he thought he had known was being upended all over again.

Padme sighed and leaned back in her chair, exhausted. "When I woke up and was giving birth", she spoke very quietly, "I felt like something was trying to suck my will to live from me. I didn't want to die, but something felt like it was whispering to me to let go, just let go. It was the strangest and worst feeling I have ever experienced", she finished, eyes unfocused.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Master Yoda found that you and Anakin had a Force bond. He severed it, believing that Palpatine was trying to siphon your life-force into Anakin's. Once the bond was severed, Palpatine would have assumed you had died, which is why we went ahead with your 'funeral'. Yoda had tried to keep you from going into a coma, but Palpatine had weakened you quite a bit and the removal of the Force bond would have to heal on its own as well."

"Force bond?" she whispered incredulously.

Obi-Wan was taken aback. "I would have thought that Anakin had told you about it", he said cautiously. "There would have been no other way for you to know about it otherwise."

Suddenly she was furious again. She got up and started pacing. "I had _told_ Anakin not to do _anything_ to me with the Force several times, and then he went and did that. Please tell me that was not something that he did on purpose."

"Unfortunately, I cannot. Force bonds can be forged with non-Force-sensitives, but it can only be created one way, via the Force-user originating it", he finished awkwardly.

She burst into tears all over again. Who had she married after all? Why had she done any of it? Why had he disregarded her requests? Had he ever loved her? No, no he hadn't. Love involved respect for the other person's wishes and positions. He had done neither. Gods, she had been _so_ blind.

Obi-Wan knew just how to put his foot in his mouth: "This was why the Jedi forbade attachment".

Padme froze, and now her fury was directed at Obi-Wan. "No, you need to understand that the Jedi helped create the monster that Anakin became. Your Council told him that missing his mother was a _crime_. Your Council conflates love and attachment, when they are two separate things. If Anakin had truly loved me, he would have respected me and _let me go_ , not choked me for not agreeing with his decision. What Anakin felt for me was attachment - possesiveness. That is _not_ love. Love is being willing to compromise, to accept someone for their flaws, but also be willing to help them be a better person, not trying to force them to be someone or something they are not. Although how could you blame him for not knowing the difference? Did anyone on that Council even think about what a former slave would think of what calling them _Master_ meant? Did anyone on that Council ever think about what it would to do Anakin to have to return Jabba's son to him, knowing about his past as a slave?" She breathed deeply and waited for Obi-Wan to retort, but he could only sit there, stunned by her fury.

"I will tell you what love is. Love is making sure that my son is raised to be a full individual, capable of making his own decisions, not just blindly parroting what other people have told him. Love is making sure that he will be a strong person, strong enough that he will know right from wrong and not question himself when being tempted by bad choices. Love is making sure that if the Sith ever find us, that I will do what is necessary, including taking my own life, and Luke's, if it comes down to that. Love is allowing Vader to think that I am truly dead, for if he ever found out that I was alive, he would feel vindicated in his choice."

Silence reigned supreme for a few moments. Obi-Wan finally had to say something: "Do you truly think that we were that misguided? That those rules hadn't been put in place for good reasons? Look at what happened with Anakin. I loved him, and I failed him by not being able to end him for good, and now look at what he's become!"

"Again, I will tell you - attachment and _love_ are two different things. But you and your Council could not differentiate between the two. Most people experience loss, and most people do not become deranged murderers because of it."

"True, but most people do not have the power of the Force."

"So it's a matter of scale then? Do you need to have the Force be an agent of destruction? Look at the Hutts and tell me that a Sith Lord is that much worse. Most of the Empire is comprised of non-Force-sensitives - they are willingly carrying out atrocities. Is every single one of them being manipulated by a Sith Lord? People choose to believe what they do, whether they have the Force or not. You act as if Anakin had been the only one to fall to the Dark Side. Did Barris bomb the Temple due to attachment? Did Count Dooku fall to the Dark Side because of attachment?"

Obi-Wan had no argument to any of these points she had made, and they both knew it. She sighed and sat back at the table, feeling calmer now for having unloaded. "I know you mean well, Obi-Wan, but perhaps part of the reason why the Jedi failed to notice the Sith was because they were so busy looking for what they had always been told to look for, even when it was clear that that was not the case. I also think it's time for you and I to accept that Palpatine had Anakin all along, and he just let us pretend that we did. If we ever expect to be able to defeat this Empire, we _cannot_ let ourselves fall into the old ways, for that will only lead to failure again."

She squeezed his arm one final time, and watched him dip his head in acknowledgement. There was no more that needed to be said right now, so she went back to bed and hoped her nightmares would stay at bay.


	15. Chapter 15

Padme had a few more nightmares about Mustafar, but the sharp edge of terror had been taken off and replaced with anger and sadness. She and Obi-Wan had a sort of unspoken agreement not to bring Mustafar up again for a while. She knew that Obi-Wan had to have had nightmares himself over it, and probably still did. She was feeling more clear-headed after having blown up over it, as she hadn't realized why she had initially been in denial about Anakin's turning in the first place until she had voiced it aloud: it was a lack of consent. Anakin had just decided to do what was best without even having consulted her or giving her the benefit of having her own agency. So far, she had discovered, her entire life had been about lack of agency, she had just been in denial about _that_ all along as well.

A few weeks after the Mustafar incident, Padme found Petey in the hall crunching on something. She shooed him out with his prize, a rather large rat. He went out into the garage to finish his breakfast. While Obi-Wan had initially resented the animal, he had recently remarked that he was "earning his keep". Petey had caught several pests, and he also made Luke a very happy boy. She also was soft of thankful to the cat for having inadvertently made her confront Mustafar. She didn't know how long she would have gone on trying to avoid what had occurred and how much that would have set her trying to heal back.

Padme almost dropped her mug when she saw someone speaking with Obi-Wan through the window. She recognized him as Rosa's husband, Mikhail. They seemed to be in a deep conversation, which she had no intention of interrupting. It looked so intense, that her curiosity was piqued. She didn't know why, but her stomach started tying itself in knots. She didn't like this, she didn't know why. Something about the situation was wrong, she didn't know what, but there was something amiss. She walked away from the window and went to the table as she saw the men part ways. She steeled herself and made sure to calm herself so as not to sound like a complete paranoid when she questioned Obi-Wan. She just couldn't help the bad feeling she had.

Obi-Wan came in and gave her a genuine smile. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him smile like that. While it warmed her heart to see him so happy, she still couldn't shake the bad feeling. "What's got you so happy this morning? Palpatine die of a heart attack?"

"No, no, nothing quite that good", he said and went to remove his outer layers. He was purposely withholding information, teasing her. He really was in a good mood, and now she just _had_ to know what had caused it.

"Care to share then?"

"Patience, my lady. You might be as bad as Anakin was with his deathly curiosity," he said placidly, eyes twinkling as he brushed past her and got himself some tea.

She rolled her eyes behind his back and sat down to wait. _This must be really good then_ , she thought. Anything that brought out the playful side of Obi-Wan would be welcome.

"That man is a Jedi", he said simply.

"Come again?" This was not what she had expected.

"He had the same idea we did, came to hide out on a farm and married one of the widows here. His real name is Qu Rahn, originally from Socorro. He recognized me and waited until the opportune moment to speak to me. He hadn't been able to before, since his wife is most keen on going into town to get the latest gossip and leaving him to tend the farm."

Padme digested the information for a moment. "Well, that explains why she came over and demanded information. She had to make sure we weren't a threat to her husband."

Obi-Wan looked pained for a quick second, just a flash. No one else would have caught it, but they had been around each other now that such nuances did not go past her. "What?" She asked in her best stern mother tone.

"She doesn't know he's a Jedi," he said quietly, guiltily.

Padme snorted and shook her head, willing what she'd just heard to be a joke. When he didn't say anything else, she got angry. "What is wrong with him? Does he not realize that danger he's put her in? As if any Imperial would believe her or care that she didn't know!"

"I'm aware of it. I remarked on it, and told him that she had not married him with full consent, and that that was crucial information for her to have made a sound decision on. He waved it off as a 'marriage of convenience' anyway, so I suppose-"

"No! That should make no difference! A marriage is a contract, signifying trust between what are suppose to be two equal partners! A lie of that magnitude, regardless of the reasons for the marriage, is unacceptable", she fumed. It seemed that all the men in her life, including those just in her periphery, were trying to make her go insane with anger. She knew she'd had an uneasy feeling, but she didn't think that this was the reason why. Something else was wrong, this little tidbit had only confirmed it.

"You are correct. I did try to impress the idea on him, but he is an adult, and I cannot force him to do anything, anymore than anyone else. His conscience is his own", Obi-Wan stated calmly, setting his mug down.

"You said he recognized you", Padme started to steer the conversation away from that topic. She didn't want to right about that, especially since Obi-Wan was right, and she had no right to take her anger out on him for what someone else had done, even if they were a fellow Jedi.

"Yes, he did, but not due to a faulty disguise," he assured her before she got any more worked up. "He recognized my Force signature, I'm afraid. I suspect I have gotten a little lax on shielding, given that there aren't many people around, let alone Force-sensitives. He didn't recognize you or ask about you either, so we should be safe for the time being."

She didn't know how to feel about his reasoning, something was _still_ wrong. There was something he was holding back. "What else did you talk about? That looked like a very intense conversation there".

"Yes, well, as it turns out, there's a Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, one I had completely forgotten about. He was telling me about it and how he'd gone there a few times. He claims to have a few artifacts in his possession which he thought would be of interest to me", Obi-Wan said carefully.

"A Jedi Enclave? Wouldn't Palpatine have people watching it? What if someone saw him there, what if there was a trap? What if-"

"Padme, please", he interrupted her before she got any more hysterical. "He's been going there for over two years now, sporadically. I should think something would have happened by now. Besides, it hadn't been used in quite some time. Most of the Jedi had decided to congregate in Coruscant centuries ago, so most of the knowledge Palpatine would be interested in would be in the main Temple".

She took in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. She still felt uneasy. "Didn't you say that the Temple on Coruscant was a trap in and of itself?"

"Yes, the _main_ Temple. Yoda and I changed the beacon to warn any Jedi survivors _away_ from it. I had completely forgotten about the Enclave here, and I was a Master on the Council, so the likelihood of any other Jedi finding it and making it some sort of new base of operations is remote. Rahn didn't even know of it - he said he felt the Force calling him to go somewhere, and he followed it there. He hadn't even known what he was going to find."

Padme knew she could trust Obi-Wan, but she didn't know about this new Jedi. She didn't like the idea of anyone else becoming aware of her survival, let alone Luke's. The man seemed to be taking needless risks in going to the Enclave. Even if there weren't any traps or Imperial presence, she didn't like the idea of artifacts being taken, let alone being brought into her home. She didn't want to risk anyone finding them or raising any suspicion.

"You say you can trust this man. You remember him from before? You're certain he's trustworthy?" She hated harping on Obi-Wan, but she had to be sure. It wasn't just _her_ life anymore that she had look out for - she had her son to consider, and he needed to be her first priority.

"Yes, I remember him. We hadn't interacted much, I'm sorry to say. But I do believe he's a trustworthy individual. I felt no ill will or intentions from him".

Padme sighed, knowing there wasn't much more she could do about the situation at this point. However, she decided to at least extract one promise out of Obi-Wan. She walked over to him and took one of his hands in both of hers and pled: "Promise me, Obi-Wan, that you will not go in there for any reason. Just because our friend hasn't been caught doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. To you, or to _us_."

"I wasn't planning on it, to be honest", he said, surprised at this request of hers. "I don't know if anyone came here before or if there are any traps and he's just gotten lucky in not setting any of them off. However, I truly don't think he means any harm, he's just trying to reconnect with what he lost", he finished softly.

Padme softened herself at that, squeezing his hand gently. "I know, Obi-Wan. I just would hate for something to happen to you. Not just for selfish reasons, like losing your protection, but because I care about you. You are one of my dearest friends. I know that we've had our disagreements, but please don't ever doubt that I truly do care about you. I don't want to see you hurt any more than you already have", she said honestly.

Obi-Wan tried not to squirm, and held eye contact. "Thank you for your kind words. I consider you one of my dear friends as well. This has been quite the transitional period for both of us", he chuckled. "I promise not to do anything to endanger our position here."

"Please promise you won't go in there. I want you to specifically promise you won't enter that Enclave. I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about it."

Obi-Wan gauged her sincerity, and sighed inwardly. Although he had been curious to go to the Enclave initially, her pained expression ultimately wore him down. "Very well, I promise I will not enter the Enclave. In fact, I will go one further, and avow that I shall not even step on the grounds".

Padme relaxed noticeably, squeezing his hands one more time before letting go. "Thank you, that makes me feel _much_ better", she said. She took a sip from her mug and grimaced - the tea had gone cold. "All the same, I think we should be drawing up contingency plans in case we should have to leave her on short notice. It was something we probably should have thought of to begin with. I don't want to have to rely on having Bail risk detection if he has to help us out again. I'd like for us to be independent enough and have at least some sort of back-up plan should this situation not work out for any reason", she said as she poured out the cold tea down the drain.

"I agree, my lady", Obi-Wan said softly. "However, I think that conversation shall have to be held at a later time", he nodded his head towards the living area.

Padme turned around to see a sleepy Luke doing his morning-shuffle to the kitchen. She walked over and picked him, saying "Good morning, sweetheart". All she got was a sleepy grunt in response and he wrapped his arms around her neck. Padme kissed his still sleep-warm cheek, feeling the pillow marks on his skin under her lips. She sat in the chair with him in her lap and gave Obi-Wan a _look_ over Luke's shoulder. She fully intended for this conversation to be taken seriously.

While she patted her son's back, she smiled internally. One of the many benefits she had discovered to being a mother was being able to make even a Jedi Master squirm uncomfortably without saying a word.


	16. Chapter 16

Padme knew that Obi-Wan had been meeting with Qu Rahn, or rather, _Mikhail,_ with more frequency after he had told her about him. She still had an uneasy feeling, but it wasn't anything she could pinpoint. She wondered if he had brought any of the Jedi artefacts with him and had hidden them in the house. She had toyed with ransacking through the house while he was in town, but Obi-Wan was one the sneakiest people she had ever met, _and_ a Jedi Master to boot. If he didn't want something to be found, she most likely wasn't going to find it. She could only hope that if he did have anything hidden in the house, that no one who wasn't supposed to would come across it.

Dorme's visit was forthcoming, so Padme busied herself getting the house ready and enjoining Luke to help her. He was excited to see "Erica" again. Not only was she his "favorite auntie", but she was his only auntie (that he knew of). Obi-Wan had even started spending more time with Luke, taking him outside more often now that the cold was starting to recede. Obi-Wan had told her on more than one occasion that Luke was very strong in the Living Force and tried to explain it to her, but she was still fuzzy on the details. Obi-Wan wanted to start training Luke on shielding himself, and she had, so his surprise, agreed. This was a useful skill that she was more than happy for her son to have should anything happen where Obi-Wan wouldn't be around to shield him. That concept she understood fully. A few days prior, she had gotten done with her afternoon shower, and heard Obi-Wan and Luke talking, so she decided to eavesdrop.

"So, did you enjoy that game?" Obi-Wan was asking.

"Yeah, you're a good finder, Ben! How'd you do it so easy?" Luke was obviously enjoying not only getting attention from Ben, but getting to play a game with him.

"Well, it's because of the Force. It's a special thing that only you and I have. Do you remember that bad feeling you had when the bad men were on Tattooine?" he asked gently.

"Yeah", she could hear the quiet reply. She heard Luke scuff his shoe, obviously not wanting to remember.

"Well, the Force was telling you that something bad was happening. It was telling me too. It was why I took you to go somewhere safe. It's how you can tell what people are feeling even if they don't tell you", Obi-Wan explained.

"Does Mommy have it?"

"No, Mommy doesn't have it. She might as well though - she's very very good at telling what other people are feeling. She's also _very_ good at catching people when they're lying or not telling her something", he said, and she could picture the conspiratorial wink he had to have been giving Luke at that moment to prompt the little giggle she heard.

"Did Daddy have it?"

"Yes."

"It makes my tummy hurt sometimes. Is that what happened to Daddy? Is that what made him sick?"

A pause. She hadn't told Obi-Wan that this was how she had explained Anakin's absence from Luke's life, and cursed herself for forgetting that detail. However, he recovered quickly. "That's not what made him very sick. I think he was only a little sick, but then a bad man made him even more sick", he said very seriously.

"The Emperor? Mommy hates him for making everything bad. Sometimes she thinks it really loud."

"Yes, the Emperor. I think we need to make sure that your Mommy is here before we keep talking about him. For now, I want to show you how to hide yourself better, with the Force, that way I can't find you. How does that sound?"

"Ok! I'll be good at finding like you then!"

Padme had stifled a gasp so as not to be overheard, and quietly ducked further back into her room. She was horrified that Luke had picked up such thoughts. She needed to be much more careful. Luke was not quite four years old yet, but he was much more perceptive than she had given him credit for. She would have to be _much_ more careful about her thoughts. She made sure neither of them were in the vicinity when she made her exit to start on dinner.

After dinner and Luke's bath, Obi-Wan had gone back to his room and taken out his datapad. He had taken to listening to Padme tell Luke bedtime stories through the wall adjacent to his. This night's selection was the classic of the scorpion and the frog. He smiled as he heard Luke interrupt with questions. The boy was full of curiosity, much like his father. The emotional outbursts had tapered off as his vocabulary expanded, just as Padme had predicted, which relieved him to no end. The boy was his own person, and Obi-Wan kept having to remind himself of that. He had kept Luke at arms' length initially, not wanting such a strong reminder of Anakin's and his own failures. However, as he got to know the boy better, he realized he was not Anakin's clone, and he honestly didn't look that much like Anakin once you got a closer look. Oh, he had the hair, eyes, and cleft chin, like his father. But, once you got past the initial impression, Padme's features came out much more strongly. And, unfortunately for Luke, it seemed he had inherited her height. He shook himself out of his thoughts to hear Luke declare the scorpion to be "mean."

"Why did he do that, Mommy? Then they both died!"

"Because that's what scorpions do - they sting. The frog shouldn't have been so trusting", Padme said gently.

"That's not a nice story, Mommy", he was sure there was a pout accompanying this declaration.

"No, it's not. There's not always happy stories, you know?" A rustling of sheets, indicating that she was tucking him in. Someone kissed someone, from the sounds of it, it was Padme kissing Luke's cheek. Luke's kisses tended to be passionate, yet messy.

"The frog shouldn't have trusted a stranger. That's what I want you to remember - you don't talk to _any_ strangers, unless Mommy or Uncle Ben say it's ok."

"Ok. Unca Owen said that too," a yawn and more rustling. He'd be asleep soon enough.

Obi-Wan turned back to his datapad. Qu Rahn had given him quite a few artefacts to look over, mostly holocrons, thinking he'd have use for them. Most of them he'd been aware of, having been a member of the Council. Sadly, nothing new for him to contemplate. He had given back every one of them once he had perused them and thanked Rahn all the same, not wanting to dampen his spirits. However, he had found something he had forgotten about, something he had recited as a youngling - a modified version of the Jedi Code. He had not wanted to keep the holocron, so he made a recording and put it on a data chip, which he plugged into the datapad. The following came up:

 _Emotion, yet peace._

 _Ignorance, yet knowledge._

 _Passion, yet serenity._

 _Chaos, yet harmony._

 _Death, yet the Force._

He had forgotten this variation, and he had read it and reread it, comparing it to what he had recited and believed in for so long. There were very few changes to the wording, but the meanings had changed completely. This sounded so much like Qui-Gon and his lectures. Why had the Council stuck by the other, harsher Code? There were so many questions, but he was afraid that he knew the answer.

It was fear - fear of change, fear of the Dark Side. They had been clinging to the Light so strongly, that they had forgotten that fear was the first step on the path to the Dark Side. They had been blaming the Sith for casting a shroud of Darkness, but it had been a Darkness of their own creation. They could not see past their own fear. All the Sith had to do was exploit the situation. The Wars only escalated things. They had given the Sith far too much credit - he was just one man after all. A very clever man, but a man, nonetheless.

Fear had also caused the Council to reject Anakin - fear of a child, fear of a _child's_ fear. Obi-Wan looked back at all the times that he had admonished Anakin to let go of his fears, all the while knowing that Anakin could feel the fear others had of him. It was a wonder he hadn't gone to the Dark Side earlier. He wondered now if Padme had been what was keeping him from doing so before. He sympathized more with Anakin now, knowing how isolated he had been. He didn't blame him for breaking the code - he had been trying to find comfort wherever he could, since all he felt was rejection at the Temple from those who were supposed to be his family. He had never felt at home there like Obi-Wan had. Palpatine hadn't created that situation, he'd merely exploited it. It still didn't take away from Anakin's horrendous decisions, _especially_ the slaughtering of the younglings. He had still _chosen_ to serve Palpatine, out of his fears for Padme's life, but he had lost her anyway. Sadly, it looked like there far too many people to spread the blame around on.

Obi-Wan hoped that Padme would be able to look past her anger soon enough, however, he knew that it would take time, just like it had taken him time. Now it was easier to see for him as well, knowing just what the catalyst had actually been. It still didn't excuse what had been done, but it made it a little easier for him to forgive Anakin. He only hoped that Padme would feel the same one day - but Anakin's and her issues ran deeper. In a way, he wondered how Anakin couldn't see just why she would have found his actions offensive. He acted without her consent, and he had to have known, as a former slave, just how terrible of an offense that was. He had probably been too absorbed in his fears to realize it though.

He felt sorry for both Padme and Anakin, although mostly for Padme at this point. He had thought of Shmi's bravery in letting her son go with them to be a Jedi, and realized that a slave woman had had more control over her son than Padme had had over her life recently. Her taking control now and asserting herself was only natural.

He also realized that Anakin hadn't really understood just what he had been consenting to when agreeing to become a Jedi, either. Qui-Gon hadn't impressed upon him just what it would entail to become one, and even then, how much could a nine year old have understood and been able to fully consent to? He was old enough to question things, but not old enough to truly understand what he was getting into. Apparently that was terrifying enough for the Council.

He wished he could speak to Anakin now and tell him that he understood better. He wanted to apologize for not having listened to him when he had felt ostracized by his peers. He wanted to apologize for having made him feel like he had to seek out _Palpatine,_ of all people, for approval.

But, he couldn't do any of those things now, and he doubted that Anakin would listen anyway. He only hoped that if there was any of Anakin left in the monster called Vader, that he would approve of his son being with his mother. The irony of the situation had not been lost on Obi-Wan.

He listened to the quiet house and rubbed his hands for warmth. He was loathe to go and make noise with the furnace while both the other occupants were asleep, but it wouldn't do them any good to freeze to death during the night either. He would do what he had set out to do - protect and take care of his charges, even if they grumbled at him for making a little noise.


	17. Chapter 17

Dorme's arrival had brightened everyone's spirits. She had brought a different ship this time. It was still nondescript, but Luke had been fascinated all the same, and she had given him the grand tour, answering all his questions with a fond smile on her face. After Luke had been put to bed, Padme left Obi-Wan and Dorme to catch up with each other and went into her room. She hungrily devoured the new holos of Leia that Dorme had brought her. It had only been six standard months since she had woken up and left Alderaan, but her little girl had changed quite a bit in that time. She had stretched out, her face having gotten slightly longer, not quite so babyish. Her hair hadn't been long enough to braid before, but now there were two little short braids on either side of her head which she was apparently very proud of. She could see little uneven patches of skin on her knees, indicating past misadventures. She smiled and cried, covering her mouth so as not to alarm anyone.

Bail had sent a short note as well, letting Padme know that Breha had fallen ill, but that he hoped she would recover soon. He also fawned on Leia, talking about how smart she was, _so_ _like her mother_. He boasted about her taking over his spot in the Senate before she was 10 years old. She sincerely hoped that he would allow no such thing, since she now viewed childhood as a sacred time in one's life - one she had taken for granted. She put away her qualms, it wasn't like she was in any position to do anything about it anyway. Even though she had given Bail the ok to keep raising her daughter, it wasn't like she could have fought for her anyway. Not without possibly exposing her and bringing her to the Sith's attention, thus guaranteeing losing her forever. She sighed and put the holos in a discreet hiding spot, where curious little boys wouldn't come across them. She would mention her displeasure to Dorme, and hope that she'd be able to communicate something back to Bail.

Obi-Wan had gone into town to get more supplies. With another person in the house, food did tend to go faster. Luke's fourth life day was also coming up soon, so he was going to get his gift. Dorme wouldn't be here for it, having to go back to Alderaan for Leia's, but they would have a little celebration of sorts for Luke before she left. Obi-Wan made his purchase and was leaving for the speeder when he ran into Qu Rahn. "A word?" Clipped and business-like. Obi-Wan frowned, wondering what had occurred.

He walked with Rahn into the town's only bar and they chose a back table, where they weren't likely to be overheard. Rahn ordered them some drinks and merely motioned for Obi-Wan to look at the holo. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw: Darth Vader himself had gone to Tattooine and personally assassinated Jabba the Hutt and then proceeded to vaporize the Palace from his Star Destroyer. The rest of the Hutts were beyond furious and threatening war over this unprovoked act of aggression. Vader was unapologetic, saying that the Hutts needed to shape up. Palpatine was nowhere to be found, probably caught off guard. Events were "still developing", according to the reporter.

"What do you make of that?" Rahm queried with a mischievous smile.

"It seems the old Sith made a terrible miscalculation", Obi-Wan said, still mesmerized by what he was seeing. There were two ways he could see for these events to have come about. Vader went to go visit his mother's grave, despite Yoda's assurances that he would never return to Tattooine, found the desecration of her grave, and assumed the Hutts had done it. Or, Palpatine had just told him that the Jabba and his people had done it, hoping to harness Vader's rage for his own purposes, only to have it backfire on him. Either way, the Sith had miscalculated in having destroyed Shmi Skywalker's final resting place. He couldn't have meant for this to occur.

"Vader? What does anyone know about him anyway?" Rahn asked.

"Not Vader. Palpatine", Obi-Wan said absently, still trying to fathom which scenario was most likely.

"What!?" Rahn asked explosively. Both men started at the outburst, but it was loud in there, and no one seemed to have noticed.

"Palpatine was the Sith Lord. I'm terribly sorry, I thought you knew", Obi-Wan said apologetically after noticing the dumbstruck look on his companion's face.

Rahn mouthed something unintelligible and sank back into the booth. "So that old bastard had played everything to his own benefit", he said contemplatively. Obi-Wan let him continue to reach his own conclusions. "Why did Mace Windu go and attack him for then? He doomed us all - played right into the Sith's hands", he said, running his hands down his face.

Obi-Wan winced, "I don't know what occurred to lead up to that point. I was on Utapau dispatching General Grievous when Master Windu went to confront Palpatine", he said truthfully. "After that, I was too busy trying to not get killed by my own clones. By the time I got to Coruscant, the Purge had already occurred".

"That's right, I forgot about that. Yoda had been off-planet too, right?"

"Yes, he had been on Kashyyyk, assisting the Wookies, who had to help him escape his own clones. He and I met on Coruscant and went into the Temple to change the beacon to warn any remaining Jedi not to return. It was Yoda who told me that Palpatine was the Sith."

"I can't imagine him having ordered anyone to attack the Chancellor, Sith Lord or not. That was suicide."

"No, he did not. He confronted Palpatine after the fact, and they had a grand duel in the Senate Chambers. Yoda lost and was rescued by Bail Organa. We met again and agreed to go into hiding", Obi-Wan said, omitting any and all mention of Mustafar. He didn't want Vader's identity to be known by anyone, if at all possible. It would be too dangerous for Rahn to know, both for his own sake, and also because Obi-Wan wasn't quite sure if he could trust him with that knowledge just yet.

"Figures Yoda would have survived. Do you know where he is?" Rahn asked cautiously.

"Yes, but I am not at liberty to divulge that information, nor do I think it would be good for your own safety to know at this moment", he said honestly. It would have been impossible to lie about such a direct question to another Force-user.

"Fair enough. I had a feeling he had survived. I know I would have felt it if he had passed", he said, running a finger along the rim of his glass. "Stars though, what was Windu thinking? That man just had no finesse".

While Obi-Wan missed Mace Windu as much as all of his other brethren and didn't want to speak ill of him, he had also wondered just what he had been thinking at that moment. "Truth is, I don't think he thought at all about possible repercussions. He just saw it as his duty as a Jedi to be rid of the Sith."

Rahn shook his head and rubbed at his temples. "Well, this certainly explains a lot. That old bastard hadn't been lying about an assassination attempt then." A pause. "And now this - what game do you think he's playing at now?"

"That is what I have been trying to figure out. His Empire is not strong enough to take on the Hutts. Even the Republic at its peak didn't mess with them. This is completely uncharted territory."

"Sounds like your typical Sith in a way, just got greedy and overconfident", Rahn shrugged.

"No, Palpatine had played a long game. A decades long game, showing more patience than even Master Yoda could have. I just don't see how this works to his advantage. I think Vader got away from him. Notice how nothing that Vader said gave any justification for what he had done. And no statement from Palpatine or any of his official representatives. No, something went awry. Things are going to get mighty interesting, my friend".

"So long as they keep their messes away from here, I can honestly say that I'm rooting for injuries", he laughed.

Obi-Wan sighed. "This is completely insane, you know? The entire justification for creating the Empire out of the Republic was that only an Empire could provide the stability and security necessary to secure the peace. And now, it looks like we are going to have another Civil War. And this one will make the Clone Wars look like a spat between two younglings". Obi-Wan wondered if Anakin or Vader had enough self-awareness to realize any of this.

Rahn laughed. "Not much we can do about it from here, except laugh at our enemies' misfortunes."  
"Yes, too bad about the civilians who will be caught yet again in the crossfire of other people's games", Obi-Wan said bitterly. He just wanted to go home now and not think about anything to do with the outside world.

As far as he was concerned, all that he truly really cared about anymore was in that house.


	18. Chapter 18

Padme knew that something had shaken Obi-Wan, although he had been doing his best to hide it. Living in close proximity had given her enough cues to see through the stoic act, whether he liked it or not. Luke kept sending him questioning looks throughout dinner as well, so she knew it wasn't just her. She figured if it had been urgent, he would not have waited to tell them. She was patient, so she waited, all the while trying not to think of too many possible scenarios. She put Luke to bed, as excitable as he was, knowing that the next day would be his Life Day celebration, albeit a week early. When that was done, she went back into the living area only to be surprised to see the holo on. They had only used it a few times, and that had been to entertain Luke during bad weather days.

She sat down and watched what Obi-Wan had seen earlier in the day at the bar, shocked to her core. While what Anakin had done was horrible, it gave her some relief to know that her earlier uncharitable judgement had been wrong - he hadn't killed the Lars out of revenge. She was very glad she had never voiced her theory to Obi-Wan now. Palpatine's people were out in full damage control mode, saying that "Lord Vader would not have done something of this magnitude on behalf of the Empire if it had not been warranted. Investigations are ongoing and information will be released as soon as it is deemed safe for the public to know."

The Hutts were threatening all-out war if they didn't get an explanation that suited them. The Senate was in shambles, no one truly understanding what had happened. Most of the representatives from systems bordering Hutt space had discovered their spines and were demanding immediate resolution to the situation. A few hyperspace lanes had already been closed to any Imperial vessels near Nal Hutta, just a taste of what was to come. Star destroyers had been fired upon and told to leave the vicinity or risk annihilation. None of these things were good for business, and many executives were being interviewed about the disastrous economic consequences that they were already incurring in such a short amount of time.

Padme knew it wasn't mature or becoming of a former Queen _and_ Senator, but she was imagining Palpatine panicking and trying to salvage his precious Empire. It didn't matter whether Vader had gone rogue or not, it still came back to Palpatine - Vader was second in command. If Palpatine couldn't control his own people, what was the point of his Empire? No matter what he did, his credibility had been found wanting by a previously adoring or, at the very least, mostly supportive public. Obi-Wan frowned at her, but said nothing.

"Mommy, the holo is too looouud. I can't sleep", came a whine from behind them. They all jumped, having been too absorbed in what they were watching.

"I'm so sorry, baby. We'll turn it off and get some rest ourselves", Padme said as Obi-Wan hurriedly shut the unit off. "If you'll excuse me", she addressed Dorme and Obi-Wan.

She tucked Luke back in and kissed his forehead. "Mommy, is everything ok?" he asked, little eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Yes, it's fine. That was boring grown-up stuff", she said, trying to soothe him. She patted his hair and let her nails run down his scalp, since that seemed to relax him more than anything else for some reason.

"They were saying war. I heard it. Are we safe?"

"Yes, baby. All of that is happening far away from us. We're going to be perfectly fine, right here", she told him as earnestly as she could, hoping she wasn't lying to him.

"Ok. But you gotta go t'sleep too, Mommy. It's late", Luke said while giving out an enormous yawn.

"Yes, don't you worry. The party's over now", she said, kissing his cheek. She watched his eyelids flutter sleepily and then finally close. She waited for a few more minutes until she felt the sleep twitches stop, and then she knew he was asleep. She ran a finger down his nose, from where little snores were emanating. She smiled sadly - he sounded like her sister, Sola, when he slept. Padme had noticed that his nose was a little pointier now, and she suspected that it would look more like Sola's than hers. _Still a Naberrie nose though,_ she thought as she adjusted his blankets and took her leave.

She went into the kitchen, finding Obi-Wan and Dorme sitting quietly at the table. Tea had already been set out for her. "I suppose it's just as well that Luke interrupted when he did. Watching all those ill-informed 'journalists' _analyze_ that situation was painful. Honestly, I had forgotten how bad the press was. They're treating the entire thing as entertainment", Obi-Wan said bitterly.

"Yes, I agree", Padme said sadly. "We should have realized that things were wrong just by the quality of the media before. When there's not a functioning press, then it's a sign of fundamental rot".

Obi-Wan sighed. She was right. There were so many things that they were seeing now with such clarity. That old cliche that hindsight was perfect was indeed fitting at the moment. However, it was time to put out the thoughts he had been wrestling with since he'd left the bar, and hope that they weren't too poorly received. "I think that for the foreseeable future, we should have no contact whatsoever unless it is an absolute emergency. We cannot under any circumstances let either of those children be discovered now."

Padme blinked. "Isn't that what we're doing now? I don't understand." She didn't want to panic, but what could be so dire _now_?

"I have a few theories, so hear me out please. I don't know what Palpatine is planning, but it can't be good. Trust me when I say that there is no way he is only worrying about damage control right now. That might be his primary focus, but he'll either be looking for a new apprentice, or find something that he can use as leverage to control Vader. Should he discover either of the children, they could easily fill either criteria, or worse - _both_ ".

Silence reigned for several minutes. Padme was sick to her stomach. To think she had been enjoying imagining Palpatine's misery earlier. Of course he would be looking ahead, he'd been able to create his Empire by playing everyone around him, he would have to have plans already in motion - scheming was his forte, his raison de etre.

"You don't suppose he'd try to get rid of Vader already, do you?" Padme asked fearfully. She hated but she still loved Anakin as well. That was why she hadn't spoken ill of him to Luke. She supposed she deep down still hoped there was some good in him, however small the chance.

"I don't know. He certainly had groomed him for long enough, I'm sure he's loathe to give up his prize. But, at the same time, the Jedi are for all practical purposed annihilated and in no position to threaten him or his Empire right now. Once Vader had destroyed the Order and hunted most of us down, his main purpose really was fulfilled, as far as what Palpatine originally wanted him for. I'm sure he has other back-ups, or possibilities, if you will. But should he find out about one or both children of the Chosen One, he would jump at that opportunity", Obi-Wan finished somberly.

"As much as it saddens me, I'm going to have to concur", Dorme said as she turned her mug over and over without looking up. "I can leave tonight if you feel it is best."

"No, that won't be necessary. I should think Luke would be crushed if you were not there tomorrow for his Life Day celebration. You are expected back by a certain date, arriving before then would arouse more suspicion than keeping to the original schedule. On the go forward, we should keep contact to a minimum, though."

Dorme nodded her assent. "Very well, then. I shall contact Senator Organa in the morning and see about arranging for him to send someone to get me. I will leave the ship here for you to use should you need to leave on short notice. This way you won't have to risk contact".

"No!" Padme exclaimed suddenly. This was not happening. She knew she was being childish, but she couldn't lose Dorme now. She also couldn't lose her only link to Leia. "Surely we're only being paranoid at this point. There must be another way", she begged, fighting tears.

Obi-Wan looked away, he hated to be the source of more pain for her, but he knew she would eventually see reason. Dorme took her hands and squeezed them: "Peace, my lady. This is not goodbye forever, it is only until we can find a better situation. I promise you that I will serve and protect your daughter with my dying breath", she vowed solemnly.

Padme knew they were right, but that still didn't make it hurt any less. She stubbornly held back her tears - they wouldn't do her any good. She swallowed hard and straightened her spine. "Very well, we will have to find somewhere to hide the ship so as not to arouse suspicion here then. We will also need to come up with new code phrases so that we know what level of emergency we are dealing with", she stated, all business now. She thought of Shmi Skywalker, and how brave she had been letting go of her only child to an unknown, and hopefully better fate. She would follow her example, and let her daughter and best friend go - for their lives were worth more than her fears.

She was Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker, and she hadn't made it this far just to fall apart now. She vowed to herself that she would personally see to the end of this ghastly Empire, and Shiraya willing, Palpatine himself.


	19. Chapter 19

Luke's Life Day celebration had gone on in spite of the grim goings on in the Galaxy. The day started out with Luke's favorite breakfast and presents. Dorme had brought him a set of frog pajamas, which he had been very enthusiastic about, hugging her so tightly it had been hard for her to breathe. Padme had gotten him a little toy tool set so he could pretend to fix things, since it looked like he had inherited his father's interest in all things mechanical. But the best gift had been from Obi-Wan. Luke had been bothering Padme to teach him to read, but she thought he was too young, and that it would be a passing fancy. Obi-Wan had brought him some old-fashioned datapads, where the child could learn at their own pace. Luke had lit up and hugged Obi-Wan, saying "thank you" over and over and over again. He promised them all he would learn to read and that soon it would be him reading _them_ stories.

Dorme would be leaving soon, so the adults let Luke play with his new things so they could discuss their situation without worrying about him overhearing something he shouldn't.

"I'd say Uncle Ben's gift was the greatest success of all", Padme said as she put the wrapping paper in the trash. Obi-Wan was, as usual, brewing tea. "Although they look awfully old-fashioned. Wherever did you find them? They can't have been easy to find." Sadly, Dantooine was a mostly rural and farming planet, thus education was not considered a necessity. Education materials were in short supply.

"Well, there was a resale shop in town, and I had chanced a look in there after our arrival to see what they had in order to curtail our expenses. I had seen them there, and luckily they had not been taken by the time I went to purchase them. And while they may be _old-fashioned_ , as you say, they are not _Imperial_ curricula", he said as he passed her a cup.

"In that case, then I'll have you know that I might be even happier than Luke is over that gift", she smiled, truly touched at just how thoughtful Obi-Wan could be. He had been opening up more and more ever since meeting another Jedi, ironically. As uneasy as the situation made her, she was still glad to see Obi-Wan coming out of the shell he had made for himself when she'd finally seen him again. She could only imagine how closed off and devastated he must have been for the previous three years, and her heart ached for him.

As if sensing her thoughts, he gave her a wry smirk and declared: "If I have made you happy as well, then I consider this particular mission a complete success."

Padme shook her head, smiling as she did so. The adults were trying their best to keep a positive atmosphere for the little one. She made her way back to her room, where Dorme was packing up for the next day's departure. She had confirmed with Bail that someone would retrieve her from the spaceport, she just had to meet them there. Padme paused just outside of Luke's room and listened to him tell Petey about his gifts. The cat was mostly unimpressed, but he enjoyed Luke's company, so he stayed motionless and blinking slowly as her little boy babbled on excitedly.

She padded away softly, a bittersweet ache in her heart. This was the first Life Day she would be spending with her son. While she was sad she had missed the others, she was glad that she'd have the rest of their lives to spend every one to come. The same could not be said for her daughter. She had contemplated getting something for Leia, but she couldn't think of anything to get her. Not only that, but Leia had no concept of what adoption meant at this age, so anything she received from her "real" mother would be met with confusion. But, she did have something special in mind for her instead, and went to her little secret hiding spot and found what she wanted.

"Dorme", she said quietly, as she walked over with a box. "I'd like to ask a favor of you."

"Of course, my lady. Anything for you". A beat, and then a half smile. "Within reason, of course."

"Of course", Padme laughed nervously. "I don't know when I'll see you next, or if I'll ever get to see Leia…" she drew in a watery breath, avoiding Dorme's sympathetic eyes until she got herself under control again. "I was hoping to give this to her myself one day, but it may not be a realistic scenario", she lifted the lid of the box and carefully pulled out her jappor necklace. "I want you to give this to her when you feel that the time is right. Anakin had made this for me many years ago, and I do love it still. I feel that it should go to her now, so this way she can have something from both of her parents."

Dorme put her hands over the one that Padme was holding the necklace with. "My lady, you will get to meet her one day. You must believe that. It won't be tomorrow, and may not be for some time, but believe that you will. Keep it, so that you may give it to her when you do."

Padme smiled, knowing that her friend was trying to help get her spirits back up, but she shook her head and pushed the necklace into Dorme's hands. "No, I want you to do this. Something tells me that it is the right thing to do. I never wear it anymore, but she should have it. Something that was made with love... and was worn with love. Love which created her - and her brother."

"If that is truly your wish, then I will do it".

"Thank you, Dorme. I can't imagine anyone else I would trust to do this for me besides yourself." They hugged, and Padme went outside to cry a little. She didn't want the Force-sensitives in the house to feel her sadness. It wasn't fair to Luke, and he wouldn't understand anyway. She composed herself again and took a breath of fresh air in. She could feel the warmer weather coming and smiled to herself - it seemed very fitting that her children's Life day coincided with the coming of Spring on this world. She had hope for them - hope that they and their peers would be the ones to create a new and better world than the one she and peers had brought them into.

The time for Dorme's departure came. Obi-Wan and Luke were standing at the front door, while Padme and Dorme said their private goodbyes by the speeder. "How come Auntie Erica has to go?" Luke asked sadly. He had enjoyed story time with Auntie Erica every night. She told the best ones, as far as he was concerned. She did voices and everything.

Obi-Wan sat down on the front step, so as to be closer to eye level. "She has her work she has to go back to. She can only come to visit us for so long", he said honestly.

"I know. But can't she stay a little more?"

"Well, that wouldn't be fair to the little girl she looks after. That is her job - to take care of a Senator's little girl while he is working. That little girl probably misses her very much right now and will be _very_ glad to see her again", he said truthfully.

"Yeah. I'll miss her. Mommy's gonna miss her too." Luke looked up from the ground and into Obi-Wan's eyes. "You gonna miss her too, Uncle Ben?"

He smiled softly, "Yes I will, young one".

Luke seemed satisfied with that answer. At least he wouldn't be the only one who was sad once she was gone. Obi-Wan sensed those feelings and smiled inwardly. He wondered just how little Leia was doing. He had been loathe to ask either of the women about her, knowing that it was a sore subject, and only brought about sadness when mentioned. It didn't make him wonder any less about Anakin's other child, though. Perhaps when things were a little less raw, he would ask Padme.

Padme walked over to where the boys were, wiping her eyes. "I think I've taken up enough of her time. I do hope I haven't made her late for her rendezvous", she said with a watery smile.

"I should think we still have plenty of time to get to the spaceport. I doubt they would leave without her", Obi-Wan said as he squeezed her shoulder in passing. He got in the speeder and drove off. Dorme turned around once and waved, and then they were gone.

Padme sighed and looked down at Luke. He looked almost as sad as she felt. He looked up at her and asked, "Where's Auntie Erica's ship?"

"It broke down, sweetie, so we had to take it town to get it fixed. That's why Uncle Ben is taking her to town". In truth, they had hidden it deep in the forest the previous night. Only she and Obi-Wan knew where it was and he had made sure that no one had been watching. There were certain advantages to being a Jedi - he would've sensed anyone nearby before they would have been able to see anything.

"Oh", Luke said, and nodded his head as if that had explained everything. "Want to see how I can read 'The Curious Wookie'?" he asked shyly.

Padme smiled and bent down to squeeze him and kiss his cheek. "Hey!" he protested, but the effect was ruined by giggles. "I'd love to", she said honestly.

Dorme had been seen off without a hitch. No one had said anything or even looked twice at them. Obi-Wan had agreed to meet with Qu Rahn again, and went to the bar to look for him. He was at the same table as before, looking irritated. Obi-Wan had only himself to blame for it, since he hadn't told either of the women that he was meeting someone, knowing it would have met with Padme's disapproval.

"My apologies, I was dropping off our guest at the spaceport", he said honestly.

"I had started to worry, my friend. I know you aren't the kind to stand people up", Rahn said, obviously relieved to see Obi-Wan again.

"Any new developments?"

"Vader's nowhere in sight. Got called back to Coruscant, and no one has seen or heard from him since then. The official word from the Empire was that Jabba had been interfering with 'official' Imperial business on Tattooine. Saying that Jabba had been feeding fugitive Jedi to his rancor instead of turning them in to the Empire per their agreement. It's all lies of course. As if a Hutt would let a bounty like that go to waste! But, most of the public seems to be accepting of this, the Hutts excepted. However, they can't _disprove_ the claims either, so it's a stalemate right now. Looks like a major catastrophe has been avoided for the moment anyway."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but detect the hint of disappointment in the other man's voice and raised an eyebrow quizzically. Rahn sighed. "I was hoping this would help weaken the Empire, you know? Even if it was a blow given by the Hutts, it would have been something, at least."

"I understand how you feel, but you know that revenge is not the Jedi way".

Rahn snorted. "What Jedi way? We're all but destroyed and in no position to challenge the old Sith in charge. Apparently we weren't up to the task back when we were at our peak either. I just hate the idea of not only having lost, but continuing to lose to pure evil. At least the Enclave was left untouched. There's still something left that could be said to belong to us".

Obi-Wan was suddenly very uncomfortable. It was one thing to go to the old ruins to try to safekeep any information that they wouldn't want the Sith to get a hold of, or to try and see if they could find any previously discarded knowledge for themselves. It was another thing entirely to cling to the old life like a life preserver and lose oneself in such a manner. As much as he missed the Jedi way of life, he was starting to see more and more just how badly they had failed, and he didn't want to perpetuate a failed system, let alone cling to it. That way lay madness - there would be no possible way to beat the Empire using the old ways.

"I don't think it is wise for you to continue to go to the Enclave, my friend. We don't want to attract attention to it or ourselves, especially with what has just occurred", he said carefully.

"Why would that matter? I've been going for years now, and no one has been the wiser".

"Yes, I know. But things just changed". He relayed his theories about Palpatine possibly looking for new apprentices, leaving out any and all mention of the Skywalker twins, but making sure that Rahn understood that they might be the target of such a search instead.

"I don't see why that old man would want anything to do with either of us. I'm betting there's still orders to kill on sight for both of us", he insisted stubbornly.

"I am sure that is the 'official' line, still. But I wouldn't put it past him to come after us if he felt like it was worth his time to try and replace his current apprentice with someone he deemed more _docile_. Besides, the Empire ignores these Rim worlds, and scads of Force-sensitives live in peace here, never knowing what power they possess. Surely you have sensed their untrained presences in your time here?" he pressed, hoping the man would see some sort of common sense, at least.

"Yes, I noticed them. I suppose you do have a point. Although the Inquisitors are not something for you or I to fear, anyway. Most likely that's who would be sent".

"Inquisitors?" Obi-Wan hated to sound ignorant, but this was a new one for him.

"Yes, lesser Dark Side acolytes. Barely trained in the Dark Side. Enough for them to subdue padawans or Jedi that weren't knights - Healers and the such. Most of them were plucked from the AgriCorps. The ones that were voluntary and strong with the Force were eliminated, leaving the ones who weren't as strong or who had been demoted there. I ran across a few Inquisitors before finally deciding to hide out here".

Obi-Wan cursed Palpatine yet again - taking the most peaceful and blameless out of all of the Jedi and reducing them to such a state. They most certainly had had nothing to do with the Wars or politics, and they had suffered all the same. Obi-Wan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, slowly releasing his anger into the Force. It would do no one any good to get angry over what had already been done. He got up to leave, and Rahn said nothing, as there wasn't much else to be said at this point.

"Please do consider what I said about not straying near the Enclave. If not for your sake, then for the innocents around here who would be in danger should it, and we, be discovered", he pled one last time. He walked out of the bar and didn't look back to see what Rahn's reaction had been.


	20. Chapter 20

The warmer weather was pleasant, and their crops were coming in nicely. So long as none of the machinery broke, everything was going well. Luke had taken to reading like a duck to water, and Padme had confused him to no end when he had finished reading a small holobook to her by bursting into tears.

"Mommy? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, as he touched her cheek.

"Nothing, sweetheart", she sniffled, embarrassed at her lack of control. "I'm just so very proud of you is all".

"Then why are you crying?" he asked, clearly not appeased.

"It's ok, Luke. They're happy tears", she said as she laughed a little.

"That's...weird", he said skeptically.

"It's alright", she said, letting out a bigger laugh this time. "I know it must seem strange to you. I'm sure it would probably seem strange to Uncle Ben, too. But, I'm very _very_ happy that you are reading. You are such a big boy. You need make sure to thank Uncle Ben again for giving you such a good present," she said as she poked his belly, eliciting giggles.

"You're being silly now, mommy", he gasped between giggles.

"Yes, I am. It's nice to be silly sometimes, right?" she winked at him and then made a goofy face.

"Yeah", he said giggling at her again. She turned back the covers and tucked him in. He hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night again since that one night, so she and Obi-Wan had decided to watch some holonews on very low volume after they knew Luke was asleep. She petted his hair as he relaxed and tried not to think about where Darth Vader had disappeared to these last few weeks. Once she knew Luke was completely asleep, she left and met Obi-Wan in the living room, where he was sitting with a grim expression on his face.

"Well, he has resurfaced", was all he said as he gestured to the holo. There was Darth Vader, in all his glory, standing sentry in the Senate chambers. Apparently this was what Palpatine had decided to be his punishment - babysitting politicians. She had no doubt that this was probably the worst punishment that could have been conceived for him, for she didn't think that Vader liked politicians anymore than Anakin had.

"I'd say I pity the Senators, but I think they deserve each other", Obi-Wan said drily. "At least we know that Palpatine hasn't replaced Vader, but that does not mean that he probably isn't looking for a replacement in the meantime".

Padme sighed. She understood Obi-Wan's need to be clinical about the situation, she only wished he wouldn't voice the more ominous declarations about Palpatine's supposed intentions so often. They made her skin crawl. "So, nothing's really changed then", she said. "This should equal some respite for some of the worlds that he'd been previously devastating".

"Or that could be part of Palpatine's plan. Let people get complacent and think that they can be more open in defying the Empire, and release Vader when he feels the time is right", Obi-Wan said as he stroked his chin.

"A plan within a plan", Padme said as she rubbed her arms. "Sounds like Palpatine alright. I only hope that Mon Mothma and Bail are careful about this and are thinking along our lines. Dorme told me about their plans for an Alliance against the Empire, but I don't think they are anywhere near strong enough to go after the Empire just yet. It would be devastating if they failed before they even had a chance to start". What could happen to Leia went unsaid.

"I think that our friends are more than capable of reading the situation better than ourselves. After all, they are on Coruscant a good portion of the year, so they have a closer vantage point to exploit", Obi-Wan soothed. "Besides, if Mon Mothma is as crafty as I remember her to be, she's probably built herself a nice spying operation first".

Padme smiled fondly, "That she would. I worry about Senator Danu as well". At Obi-Wan's blank look she explained: "He's the Senator from Kuat. He's a pacifist."

Obi-Wan grimaced. "Say no more. I should think that he would be in a safe place for now. Unrest in Kuat would not be beneficial to either the Empire or Kuat, so I doubt that Palpatine will move against him just yet. I assume once this kerfuffle with the Hutts blows over, he'll move to consolidate power again and make sure that Kuat is firmly within Imperial control".

She nodded, exhausted and disheartened. She walked over and turned the holonews off decidedly and took a deep breath. She had just gone from an extreme high over her son's reading skills to a new low. She was relieved to see that Anakin - no Vader - was still alive, but also apprehensive. Obi-Wan seemed to sense her thoughts and only raised an eyebrow but said nothing, knowing she would speak when ready.

"I think we need to go over our contingency plans again, just in case something should happen where it is not safe for us here any longer. Have you checked the ship again?" she asked.

"Yes, I checked it just yesterday. It is in fine running condition, still well-hidden. It looks undisturbed, with the exception of what looked like some animal damage". Seeing the alarmed expression on her face, he continued: "Nothing serious, just scratch marks from curious creatures wondering what the intrusion into their habitat was. They didn't gain any entry into the craft, just left some unsightly blemishes on the exterior paint".

Padme sagged with relief. She pulled out a datapad and they began looking over systems that would be suitable for them should the worst come to happen.

Obi-Wan had gone into town to get more supplies and to see about a housecleaning droid, as neither he nor Padme had much time to tend to those chores during the day anymore. Padme would not abide a dirty house. He thought of Anakin and how he would have been _most_ helpful at the moment, since Obi-Wan knew nothing about picking a droid. He finally decided on one that was inexpensive and rather reminiscent of a rabbit, oddly enough. Luke would end up finding it fascinating on multiple levels, no doubt. As he loaded his new purchase into the speeder, he saw Rahn's wife Rosa walking quickly towards him.

"Hello, Rosa. Is everything alright?" he asked, seeing the dark circles under her eyes and the worried look on her face.

"My husband has been missing for two days now", she said quietly. "I know that he has become good friends with you, and I was wondering when you had seen him last", she said almost pleadingly.

"Friends" was too strong a word to use, let alone _good_ friends, but then again, who knew what else Rahn had told his wife. He hoped that he didn't inadvertently reveal something he shouldn't. "I haven't seen him since last time I was in town, about two weeks ago", he said truthfully. "Are you sure he didn't go on a hunt?"

"No, he didn't mention anything", she said as she deflated. "I hope he only got drunk and maybe lost. He's done that before, but it's been a long time. He's always found his way back home before. I guess I'll just wait it out. Please let me know if you hear anything, won't you Ben?"

"Of course. I'll also give him a piece of my mind for having worried you so", he said sincerely. He hadn't thought anything of having met the man at a bar just about every time they had spoken, but now he felt even more justified in not having told Rahn anything about Vader's true identity or those of the people he resided with currently. As he watched Rosa walk away dejectedly, he wondered if Rahn hadn't succumbed to a booby trap in the Enclave after all. He knew Padme wouldn't like it, but he needed to check for himself. He couldn't just leave the man there, if he was trapped and still alive. He also needed to make sure that nothing had been set off that could alert the Empire.

As expected, Luke had loved the droid, and was currently following it around as it went about its business cleaning floors. It responded back to Luke's incessant queries in a polite tone, the voice vaguely feminine. While Luke was occupied, Obi-Wan told Padme about his plans to see about Rahn's whereabouts.

" _No_ , out of the question", she hissed. "If he got himself into trouble, then it is _his_ problem. We cannot afford to be discovered. Things have just settled down here - I don't want to draw attention to ourselves". She knew she was being selfish, but she could also justify her protests on Luke's behalf. After all, Obi-Wan's original plan had been to be a hermit on Tattooine until whenever he felt the time was right to take Luke under his wing. She saw no reason to deviate from that portion of the plan.

"Padme, think logically about this", Obi-Wan said, trying to keep his composure. "If anyone else should find him at that Enclave and it comes to the Empire's attention, they will ask questions, and those questions will lead to us. After all, he doesn't really talk to anyone but me, apparently".

"I knew we couldn't trust him", Padme said as she sagged. She knew Obi-Wan was right, but she still didn't like the situation. She resorted to bargaining as a last ditch effort: "He's obviously got a drinking problem. Perhaps he got drunk and lost in the forest and got attacked by an animal? Shouldn't you check there first?"

"I'm laboring under the assumption that his _wife_ will already have thought of that, and has probably done her own reconnaissance", he said as he packed a medi-kit and some extra water. "I shan't be long. I intend to make a quick survey of the situation. Keep your comm on and I will alert you should anything occur."

"Have you thought of what you will tell Rosa if you do find him?" Padme crossed her arms. She couldn't physically stop him from going out there, but she could at least let her displeasure be known.

"I think that will depend on what condition he is in, and if he is capable of corroborating a cover story or not", he said as he sighed. "I shall return soon. It's not very far from here", he reassured her. He knew she was angry, but he could not in good conscience leave Rahn out there and at the mercy of the elements. "Besides, if he did do something that alerted the Empire, best we know in advance, and not after they are already here".

Padme had no argument for that, and could only watch as he walked out the door with his pack over his back. She only hoped that the place had always been booby-trapped and that it was not the Empire's doing. She discreetly went to pack some emergency travel bags, just in case.


	21. Chapter 21

Obi-Wan was glad that he remembered the location of the Enclave from Rahn's previous disclosure. He knew he would have been hopelessly lost otherwise. He understood why the Temple was located where it was - a closer connection to the wilderness meant a closer connection to the Living Force. He supposed he could be glad that this _incident_ had occurred during the warmer season, which meant the days were longer.

He dreaded what he would find. He hoped that the place had truly been abandoned and that he wouldn't encounter anything like what he had seen at the Temple on Coruscant. His butchered brethren still populated his nightmares at times. Although, after four years, he supposed if he did run across any fatalities, they would have been rendered into nothing more than skeletal remains. Not that that made the task any easier.

He finally pulled up to the location and noted with some irony, that it was shaped like a rabbit's head. He should have known that the droid would have been a portent of something like this. He sighed and took out his pack as he went in through the front entrance. No electricity greeted him, and it was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of small creatures running in fright from his sudden appearance into their midst, or water plopping into puddles from several different roof leaks. He stretched out with the Force, and could feel Rahn's Force signature. It was muted, but there. He shook his head and cursed the man for his obstinacy in returning to this place.

He followed the Force signature until he came across what looked to be the heart of the Temple. It was a circular room - he was standing in front of a catwalk that led to the center of the room, where there was a circular platform. Surrounding the platform were several seats in a circular pattern, recessed into the ground. It was on one of those chairs that he found Rahn, semi-conscious and half buried under rubble. As he approached, he could see that there had been a chair at the top of the center platform, which had come loose from its moorings and displaced itself on top of Rahn.

"Decided to sit on the throne, did you?" Obi-Wan said as Rahn gave him a weak smile. He tugged out the medi-kit and ran the bioscanner over Rahn's body. "Broken ribs and a broken leg", he said clinically and then set about removing the rubble as carefully as he could so as not to injure the man any further.

"Vader. Not. Dead," the man rasped. Obi-Wan wondered if he was feverish. He had moved most of the rubble and then proceeded to give him small sips of water. So, Vader had resurfaced and the man had gone on a bender, resulting in him knocking himself off of the platform. He didn't know whether to be glad that this was just a stupid accident or strangle the man for having given several people cardiac conditions.

"No, he is not", Obi-Wan said neutrally. He did what he could to splint Rahn's leg and helped him sit up some. The man in question stank like he had been bathing in liquor, and Obi-Wan had to fight the urge to gag audibly. He hadn't really asked how Rahn had escaped Order 66 - both of them had given minimal details about their survival, but he wondered just how terrible it must have been for a Jedi Master to reduce himself to such a state.

"Bastard nearly killed me", Rahn said, eyes unfocused, staring straight ahead at nothing. "He slaughtered my padawan slowly. Cut her piece by piece trying to find me. I knew she had been in trouble - I had sent her off to hide when the clones came for us while we were hiding out on Telos. I got rid of the clones as quickly as I could and rushed back to her. By the time I got there, it was too late. She was in pieces, Kenobi, _pieces_."

Obi-Wan didn't want to hear anymore, he wanted it to stop, but he knew he owed it to this poor man to hear him out. His _own_ padawan had done this to someone else's. He hadn't even begun to think about how the Coruscant Temple victims might have been lucky in that they had met a relatively quick demise. He hurt just thinking about what Vader must have done to all the poor Jedi he came across after the initial slaughter.

"The Force was still ringing with her agony, you know", Rahn said as he turned watery eyes on Obi-Wan. "That _monster_ waited until I had arrived there and was feeling at my lowest, knowing that I had failed before he attacked. He was vicious. Luckily, I was able to escape him by jumping on a speeder that I had stolen from a clone. He ran after me on foot for a while before I finally left him in the dust. But he was fast. For something that big - he was _fast._ " Rahn shuddered and went quiet.

Obi-Wan said nothing. He felt sick to his stomach. He almost toyed with the idea of telling Rahn about Anakin and what Obi-Wan himself had done to him at Mustafar, but he didn't think that that would be any consolation. After all, Anakin had lived, and was now inflicting the same treatment to others, with predictably fatal results. He was under no illusions that that was the first or last time that he had done something like that.

It took a long, arduous hour of starting and stopping to get Rahn out of the Enclave and back into the speeder. Obi-Wan had Rahn comm Rosa and tell her that he had been injured near a quarry due to drunken stupidity. At least this way Obi-Wan could make sure that they both had the same story to tell. He took the injured man back in silence to his home, where his worried wife came running out of the house to greet him, already having called the emergency services. She hugged Obi-Wan profusely and thanked him for being such a good friend. Obi-Wan felt like anything but that at that moment. He gave a statement to the emergency workers and then went back to his own home, wishing he had been able to finish the job he had started on Mustafar for the first time in a long time.


	22. Chapter 22

Rahn had stabilized enough to be sent home after a few days, and nothing was suspected about the incident. Emergency services had been acquainted with him due to several bar fights in the past, so this was not something worth investigating, Padme found out through the comm grapevine. She sighed in relief - at least this was not something that would pique the Empire's interest. However, the effects the incident had on Obi-Wan were marked. He relayed what Rahn had told him after much prodding, and she knew that he was drowning in guilt over everything again. Luke had noticed Obi-Wan's sadness and taken to giving him wordless hugs, which Obi-Wan appreciated. It had become slightly easier for him in the last several months to accept affection from Luke, at least. Obi-Wan never initiated physical contact, but he didn't shy away as much anymore either. She worried about his mental state constantly though, and didn't know how to make things any better for him.

A few days after Rahn had come home, Rosa had dropped by to speak to Obi-Wan, but he had gone into town, so only Padme and Luke were there. Luke had gotten a cold, and was taking a nap, hacking and coughing in his sleep. "Is this a bad time?" Rosa had asked. Padme wanted to turn her away, but she could see that the woman had desperately needed to talk to someone, so she relented and let her in with a shake of her head.

"How is your husband feeling?" she asked as she brought over a pitcher of juice for them to share.

"He's much better now, although he grouses about needing a drink every now and then", Rosa said as she took the offered glass in both hands, but didn't drink from it.

"Which I suppose you will not let him have under any circumstances", Padme asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"That would be the situation right now. He thinks that by apologizing and sweet-talking he'll get me to give in, but after what happened this time, there's no way. So, you're looking at bad guy number one, right now", she replied miserably.

"Hopefully he'll come to realize that you are doing him a far greater favor than he knows", Padme said, wishing she'd had the fortitude to be a bad guy more often when it had come to Anakin. She wondered if things would have been markedly different if she hadn't enabled his behavior or been so quick to forgive his little tantrums.

Rosa nodded, and then looked up with tired eyes. "I meant to thank Ben for coming by and visiting the other day. It meant so much to us both. He truly is a great friend", she said earnestly. A pause, and then a deep breath. "However, I am worried about him. I noticed that he seems to have become very sad after this happened, and I hope that he doesn't try to deal with his problems with drink as well. I know they frequented the same bar after all…" she trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with what she had brought up.

Padme smiled gently at her, she understood that she was coming from a good place. "My brother is not a drinker, so you need not worry about that. It's just that this situation reminded him very much of what had occurred with my husband towards the end, and it hit him hard is all", she said, which was the truth - from a certain point of view.

"Was your husband a drinker?" Rosa asked curiously.

"No, he had more of, control and anger issues", Padme said warily. There were times when she appreciated the woman's bluntness, but this was a more delicate situation. She knew her cover story, but it was bare generalities. She owed some peace of mind to this woman, given that she didn't truly understand the situation she had been put in, so Padme resolved to tell her what she could, in order to at least possibly save Rosa from further heartache. "I thought that I could fix him, you know. Thought that my love would be enough to keep him from doing damaging things to others. He told me so enough times, that I was what had kept him sane. But, sometimes love is not enough", she said sadly.

Rosa nodded sadly again. "He passed away in a house fire, you said?"

"Yes. One that he set himself, actually", Padme said, which was a truth of sorts - just not literal.

"I don't understand. Was it in a fit of anger?" Rosa queried with knit brows.

Padme sighed, "No. We had fallen on hard times, and he thought that he could fix things by getting us insurance money out of it, you see?" She bit her lip and turned her glass in her hands. "He made the mistake of telling Ben his plan. Ben was like a brother to him - they were certainly closer than I was to my own husband", she laughed wetly. She sniffled and continued: "Ben tried to get me to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't hear of it. He was convinced that this was the right way to go about things, and we disagreed. Ben even intervened and tried to reason with him, to no avail". She looked out the window - it was green outside, not the red of Mustafar, she reminded herself. "He thought that I was betraying him when he saw my brother come in to intervene on my behalf once the argument had gotten heated enough. He got angry, and he choked me. Ben had to fight him and get me _and_ Luke to safety. I had passed out and spent some time being ill. By the time I woke up, I found out that he had gone ahead and burned everything down, including himself. Ben had been watching over Luke that entire time, and he still helps with that from time to time. He's had to be a rock for us for a while now, so it's only fair that he be affected at some point himself", she finished quietly.

Padme reflected on how much what she had just said was true. She had initially feared Obi-Wan and resented him. She felt guilt over her irrational fears now. She hadn't truly realized just how much Obi-Wan had had to deal with, and _on his own_ no less, until she had spoken the words aloud to someone else. Padme turned wet eyes to Rosa, suddenly much more serious: "Don't make the mistake that I did - get out if you feel that you are not able to get through to him. If his behavior doesn't change after this, then you need to let him go, for your own sake."

Rosa was taken aback. "He's never been violent towards _me_ , and never gotten completely hammered in _our_ home", she said defensively.

Padme shook her head sadly as she remembered her own naivety. "I thought the same thing - I was the only one he had never hurt in anger. But, he did, eventually. Just because I had been spared longer than anyone else didn't mean that I was safe forever. I made that mistake and it cost me _everything_. It nearly cost me my own life and my _baby's_ life", she said as she choked up. What _had_ she been thinking, going to Mustafar while _pregnant_? She had been so irresponsible. "Please, trust me when I say that there is only so much you can do to help someone if they aren't willing to help themselves", she pled as she saw Rosa shake her head in denial.

"I don't know what to say. I'm sorry to have brought it up", Rosa said sadly. She had certainly gotten more than she had bargained for.

Padme took one of her hands and made sure they made eye contact: "Please listen to me, very closely. If not for yourself, then think of everyone else who will be affected. Look at what happened to Ben. My inability to see what was in front of me didn't just hurt me - it hurt my child, it hurt Ben, it hurt my family - it hurt my whole _world_. And in the end, it didn't save my husband anymore than you can save yours. You cannot save those who do not wish to do so for themselves. You _must_ have a willing partner - you cannot do it for them. If you must, please get out to safety. _Please_ ".

Rosa looked down at the table as she nodded wordlessly. Luke started coughing up a storm, which Rosa took as her cue to leave. "Thank you for everything again. I will think about you said", she said quietly. "Hopefully your little one feels better soon", she said with a smile.

Padme's heart broke a little. She hadn't intended to shatter someone else's world, but she wished that someone had been able to shake some sense into her before. However, given that her marriage was a secret, it had made that particular scenario an impossibility. She wasn't able to fight the Empire at the moment, but she could at least hopefully change one person's life for the better here. "It's just a cold", she said, "he'll bounce back. Children often do - they're much more resilient than we are".

"Of course. Tell Ben I stopped by and thank him for me again, would you?"

"Absolutely", Padme promised honestly. She hoped that even this little gesture would be enough to lift his spirits some. She watched Rosa get into her speeder and leave and heaved a wet sigh. Luke's coughing fit had subsided at least, but she went to go check on him anyway. He was curled up in a miserable ball, but had kicked off his blankets haphazardly. His hair was plastered to his forehead in a sweaty mess. She frowned and felt his forehead - fever. She was loathe to wake him at the moment, since he needed his rest, so she made a mental note to give him some medicine when he got up.

She noticed Petey sitting on the farthest corner of the bed. _He probably can't curl up next to his favorite human, what with all the thrashing around. But he's still loyal. How very Obi-Wan of him_ , she smiled as she scratched behind his ears.

Padme went into the living room and sank onto the sofa, holding on to one of the pillows for dear life. She cried and cried and cried. She cried for her own lost innocence. She cried for Obi-Wan's sake. She cried for the Galaxy. For she had sinned, and _everyone_ had paid the price, not just herself. She didn't know when she'd ever be able to forgive herself for her part in the Galaxy's miseries, but she figured she needed to forgive Obi-Wan first. Out of everyone involved, he had been the most innocent, save for her own children.


	23. Chapter 23

Luke's condition had worsened throughout the day and later that night. He had thrown up enormous quantities of phlegm and his breathing had worsened as his chest got more and more congested. Obi-Wan had hurriedly bundled Luke up and taken him into the speeder as Padme ran ahead to get it started. They would get to the hospital quicker than if they waited for emergency services. Obi-Wan had said nothing as Padme raced in a manner similar to Anakin's, instead trying to keep the tired little boy from choking on the fluid his lungs insisted on producing.

Luckily for them, there had been no one else at the hospital requiring immediate attention, and Luke was whisked away shortly. Padme had tried to follow, but she was held back by a nurse who insisted on getting their information first. Obi-Wan filled out the paperwork as she dictated, as her hands had been shaking too badly for her to complete it in any kind of coherent fashion. Padme felt guilt again on top of the worry - here was Obi-Wan having to help her out _again_ in the midst of his own issues. She selfishly hoped that at least _this_ incident was helping take his mind off of what had occurred with Rahn.

After what seemed like an interminable wait, a nurse beckoned them into a small office of sorts. "Luke has a bad case of pneumonia, but it is treatable. We would like to keep him here for the next day and see how he does", the nurse said professionally. "I would like to know if his immunization records are up to date, seeing as how this is a strain that we normally don't see anymore".

Padme blinked and then flushed. "I don't know. We lost everything in the fire, and all records were gone. I...I…" she trailed off, embarrassed and furious with herself for not having thought of something so vital. She felt like the worst mother in the Galaxy.

"It's alright, _Anna_ ", Obi-Wan soothed, and he looked just as guilty as she felt. "Things had been chaotic and what with your illness and all. I should have thought of it as well. I'm so sorry."

" _No_ , no", she said through gritted teeth. "I'm his _mother_ \- that was _my_ responsibility. I can't believe that I didn't think of that. Please don't take that guilt upon yourself", she pled as tears poured out beyond her control. "Can we update his immunizations now?"

"I would wait until he recovers before we do that. Let his body get stronger before we do anything else", the nurse cautioned with more compassion this time. "Please don't feel as though you've committed a major crime here. We actually see this quite a bit around here. Wildfires destroy people's homes all the time, and they come into town if they have nowhere else to go, where they get exposed to new people and pathogens. Immunization compliance is rather lax as a general rule."

"Thank you", Padme said gratefully. "However, that doesn't erase the effects of my negligence. I will most certainly bring Luke back and get his immunizations updated once he is better".

The nurse nodded her head. "Good, that's more than I get from most people that come in here. They refuse on financial grounds, you see. Are your immunizations up to date?" she queried them next.

Padme and Obi-Wan were both taken aback this time. "I'm afraid I don't really know", Obi-Wan ventured forth uncertainly. "I fear that my previous place of employment had taken care of all of that for me…" he trailed off sheepishly.

The nurse looked at them sympathetically. "Here's what I suggest. We get you two up to date on your immunizations, that way we can make sure that you don't get Luke sick with anything else while he recovers. Then, say in two weeks' time, you can bring him back and we can do a check-up to see if he's well enough to receive his own. Does that sound like a plan?" she finished gently.

Padme nodded gratefully again. On this particular issue, neither she or Obi-Wan had any sort of high ground. She suddenly realized just how much of a fantasy her independence had been after all. She had no idea how to take care of herself on such a basic level - her parents had taken care of her health as a child, her handmaidens had looked after her thereafter, and the Senate had had guidelines for immunizations when traveling to different worlds. All of that had been taken care of for her and taken for granted. Someone else had paid the price for her ignorance, _again_.

The nurse left the room to fetch the vaccinations. Obi-Wan turned to her with sad eyes. "I must say that this has certainly been a learning experience. I took so much for granted before. The Temple had handled all of these things for me, you see, so I never had to think of any of it. They handled Anakin's health as well. The only thing I had to look out for with him were injuries incurred on missions", he sighed, at a loss for words again.

"I know what you mean. We are _such_ a mess", she laughed bitterly. "Perhaps I should have considered taking a class in common-sense at some point. It seems that I will make more of a mess of my child than any Sith Lord could have."

Obi-Wan winced, and she instantly regretted her word choice. She left what she had been about to say unsaid as the nurse returned with the vaccinations and administered them. Once that was done, they were led to Luke's room, where he lay deathly pale and with an oxygen mask over the lower half of his face. Padme didn't like the eerie similarity to his father's condition at that moment. However, she pushed that thought aside and made her way to Luke's bedside. "I'm so sorry, baby", she said as she kissed his forehead. It wasn't as hot anymore, thank Goddess. His eyelids fluttered but remained closed, and his little hand twitched. She took it and marveled at how small it was, and yet how big it was in comparison to the rest of him. As if he had the hands of an older child. She kissed his hand and let the tears fall as her guilt overwhelmed her yet again.

Obi-Wan had left the room and come back. "I analyzed his chart, which had been left hanging on the door. Thankfully, there was no midichlorian test done. I had been afraid of that, since there are no medical records for him", he said with relief.

Padme's blood had run cold all of a sudden. She hadn't thought of that either. "You don't suppose they would have done it anyway and not put it on his chart?" she asked fearfully.

"No, it's considered a standard procedure elsewhere. Either way, he would have been taken by now anyway if such a thing had shown up before, so they must have assumed that it was not necessary. Given that Dantooine isn't within the Empire's purview, it probably wouldn't have been administered to begin with. But, it never hurts to check these things", he said soothingly.

"No, it doesn't", she sighed as she allowed relief to flow back through her again. She was tired. Bone-tired - physically and emotionally. Obi-Wan brought her a chair so that she could sit at Luke's beside and rest her head next to his on the pillow. "Thank you, Ben", she said warmly, meaning every word of it. "You are everyone's rock and you aren't appreciated enough for it, you know?"

He waved his hand airily, embarrassed at the praise. "I figured I made enough of a mess of things that it's the least I could do", he said sadly.

"You know that you are probably least at fault out of all of us", Padme said forcefully.

"It is my fault that I did not see the signs beforehand and could not do what needed to be done once it was too late. I was cowardly and blinded by my own attachment", he said sadly.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I had to tell Rosa the other day", Padme said, deadly serious: "It was _not_ your fault. Anakin wanted you to be something you were not. You are and have always been a Jedi. You were brought up that way and that was what you were tasked with teaching him to be. He _knew_ that. He should have left the Order, and I should have left the Senate. But, we were selfish, and we kept everything a secret instead - from you, from everyone. If you have to blame anyone, blame _me_ ".

"You do understand that this is not your fault anymore than anyone else's? It all boiled down to his fears, you see? If it hadn't been you that was the catalyst, something else would have been", Obi-Wan said sadly.

"Yes, I do see", she said truthfully. "However, this does not change the fact that he _chose_ to follow Palpatine. He _knew_ it was wrong. He knew that that was not something I would have ever wanted, and he got angry with me when I told him so. At some point, we will both have to stop blaming ourselves for the entire situation. Did we help him? No, we were both enablers, in our own ways. But, the point still remains - he made his _choice_. We were probably the two people that he loved most, yet when we both tried to speak to him about what he had done, he would have none of it. We weren't enough to sway him - he had already made his choice, regardless of what we wanted."

Obi-Wan nodded sadly. He logically understood her words, and knew deep down that there was only so much he could have done in the end. It still didn't take the guilt away, particularly after having heard Rahn's horror story. He looked over at Luke, who looked to be sleeping peacefully for once. "I suggest that we learn from our mistakes, so that we will not repeat them with this poor little one", he said softly.

Padme brushed Luke's hair from his forehead and kissed his cheek. "I should probably read a book on parenting at some point. At the very least for the common sense stuff so we can avoid something like _this_ again", she said as she gestured at the room.

Obi-Wan smiled wryly. "I think I might read it when you are done. I could have used it myself all those years ago."

"Hey, it's a start", Padme said. She was determined to do right by her son if it killed her.


	24. Chapter 24

Obi-Wan knocked on Rosa's door. Rahn had requested to see him and had seemed rather agitated when they had spoken over the comm. He didn't know if there was a relapse at hand, or if the man had finally gotten control of himself and realized just what he had done and wanted to deliver an apology. Rahn answered the door with a wince as he hobbled aside and let Obi-Wan in.

"No hoverchair or crutches?" Obi-Wan asked with worry.

"No, my friend", Rahn grimaced as he arranged himself into a chair next to a quite full bag. Obi-Wan had a bad feeling about what was in that bag. Rahn noticed him looking at the bag and gave a sheepish smile. "The wife has been digging around everywhere trying to find any hidden stashes of alcohol that I may have. I couldn't chance her coming across these", he said as he leaned over and opened the bag, revealing several Jedi holocrons.

"I can imagine you are wanting me to take those back where they belong", Obi-Wan said wearily.

"No, not exactly", Rahn replied as he closed the bag up again.

"I hope you are not expecting me to keep those on my property", he responded a little sharper than he had intended.

"It is the only way, Kenobi. Imagine if the wrong people came across these. I cannot trust myself with them, and I don't want Rosa to come across them and show them to the wrong person. They belong with a Jedi, someone who understands their importance and will safeguard them properly. It is clear that I am not that person", he said as he looked down at his leg, which was still bound in a cast.

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep breath. "I understand what you are saying. I just don't understand why they can't go back to where they were", he said, hoping to inject some logic into the situation.

"I've seen several teenagers go near the ruins lately. Just like it called to me through the Force, it was calling them. I don't want the Empire coming here if one of them should accidentally open one of the holocrons. An untrained Force-sensitive coming across one of them would create a disturbance in the Force and alert the Sith".

Obi-Wan sighed. There was just no winning for losing in this situation. He understood better now what Rahn was saying, but he couldn't justify bringing the holocrons into his home. If Luke found them and opened one up, the same scenario would play out. Unless…

"I think I might know where to store them", he said as inspiration struck.

"Don't tell me where", Rahn said quite seriously. "I can't guarantee that I won't lose control of myself again and not give away their location. I don't want that for you or for those holocrons".

"Very well, I understand. I shall take them, and I am going to hold you to your word not to tell you where these are, no matter what", Obi-Wan said as he made sure that Rahn made eye contact with him.

"Thank you so much, Kenobi. You are truly a good friend. Once the Sith are gone, those will be invaluable to the next generation of Jedi", Rahn smiled the first genuine smile that Obi-Wan had seen from him.

Obi-Wan took the bag to the ship, still hidden deep in the forest. The ship was his responsibility, Padme never ventured out here, and she didn't allow Luke to either, even if he was with Obi-Wan. He scanned the perimeter of the ship again, satisfied that no one had tried to get into it at any point in the last few weeks. He hid the holocrons deep in the belly of the ship, behind several other boxes. He only hoped that no one would decide to go exploring in the forest.

Luke had made quite the recovery, although he still had a hacking cough which seemed to not want to leave him. Petey followed him around the house all the time, as if he was worried that something would happen to Luke if he wasn't there. Luke had tripped several times over the cat, but not gotten angry with it, only annoyed, Obi-Wan was pleased to see. He studied Luke more often now, trying to truly see him as his own person, and not just a product of his parents'. He saw traces of Qui-Gon in the child in how he interacted with "pathetic life forms". They had tried to rehabilitate a baby bird that the mother had kicked out of its nest not too long ago, and Luke had been devastated when it had not survived.

For all of the mishaps and upheaval in his short life, he was a happy child, for the most part. He was also blessedly able to entertain himself for long stretches of time, something which Anakin had not been able to do too successfully unless it involved tinkering with mechanical things. Here, Luke was different. Luke was able to sit and read a book over and over again, perfecting and practicing his reading skills. He would then proceed to elaborate on the stories, sometimes relaying them to the cat, and sometimes just to himself. Which is what he was doing at the moment - telling his own continuation of The _Lothcat and the Kath Hound_ to his most disinterested audience.

"My sister, Sola, would do that. We had a pitten that she would tell stories to when we lived in the mountains. She was _very_ upset when it didn't make the trip with us into Theed", Padme said with a wistful smile.

Obi-wan turned and followed her out to the living area. "What did Rahn want?" she asked once they were out of Luke's hearing range.

"To apologize for his behavior and to ask me to remove some offending items from his property", he said vaguely.

"If it was alcohol - it better _not_ have made its way into this house", she warned him.

"Not to worry, I disposed of everything in a responsible manner. I brought nothing of his into the house", he said truthfully. The ship, after all, was not a part of the house.

She eyed him doubtfully but was satisfied with his answer once she saw that he was not breaking eye contact. "I don't trust him. I think you need to be much more careful around him. He doesn't take care of himself, and who knows what could happen if he were to get drunk and reveal your identity to the wrong people", she sighed as she took the comm out and scanned for any new messages.

"Believe me, I am going to keep as much distance as is possible without it being suspicious", Obi-Wan said truthfully. "He is much too exhausting to keep up with, and I don't believe that I can do anything to help him. I believe he realizes that he has a problem, and that he needs to deal with it. He seemed more coherent this time. But I feel a certain responsibility to help him as well, Padme. I mean, it's not like he can see a mind healer and risk giving up his status as a fugitive Jedi. I doubt that doctor-patient confidentiality would stretch that far."

"I know", she said, and softened some. "But, we can't let ourselves get dragged into something beyond our ability to control here. If he were to get caught, he could end up ruining what he have here. We've gotten settled, there's been no Imperial presence of any kind at any point. And Luke is _happy_ ", she sighed heavily. "I just would like to keep to ourselves as much as possible - that had been the original plan anyway."

Obi-Wan simply nodded in reply. Padme went back to Luke's room and left him to his thoughts.

Obi-Wan went back to the ship discreetly once the house's other occupants were asleep. The cat was awake, but he wasn't in a position to snitch on him, so Obi-Wan left the premises quietly. He opened up the bag and counted out twenty eight holocrons. He wondered more than once what had happened to the Enclave and how it had come to be abandoned. Had it been invaded, or had the Jedi simply decided to move elsewhere and leave their knowledge behind should someone else need it? He supposed if it was the latter scenario, that he couldn't blame them for their philanthropic thought process. He knew that _he_ had never imagined that a Sith Empire would take over and threaten all Jedi walks of life.

After checking over all of them and making sure that there was nothing of a Dark Sided nature, he put them back in their place. He was tempted to leave for Dagobah and take these to Yoda to have for comfort in his exile. But no, the Force told him to stay his hand again. He didn't like that there were Force-sensitives seeking out the Enclave, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He just had a bad feeling about that place. He hoped that the Empire was too busy to care about Dantooine for the foreseeable future.


	25. Chapter 25

Several months passed by without incident. The weather was cooler and the harvest was decent. Padme and Obi-Wan made enough from their labors to not arouse suspicion so long as they didn't spend any money ostentatiously, which neither had any interest in doing so anyway. It wasn't like Dantooine had any high fashion houses or fine dining establishments. The only major expenditure they had made was the house-cleaning droid, which was not unheard of.

Obi-Wan had continued to play the modified version of hide-and-seek with Luke, and the child was shielding himself as a matter of habit, which was what he had intended. Obi-Wan cursed himself for it - if things had not fallen apart, Luke would have been able to roam the Temple with his peers and know the magnificence of feeling others' Force signatures all the time with no need to shield. He would have known what it was like to be surrounded by thousands of lights - not the smattering that existed on Dantooine which could only really be felt from orbit or if one was in town.

Darth Vader had been released from his _punishment_ after the Senate had one of its most productive sessions on record. He was allowed nowhere near Hutt Space due to the ongoing debacle, which could best be characterized as a low-simmering war. There was an occasional skirmish, but it seemed that neither side wanted all-out war. However, Force-sensitives were still hunted with regularity all over the Galaxy, including in Hutt Space. Sometimes they were turned over to the Empire, but Obi-Wan had no illusions about just what a minute percentage that must have been of total Force-sensitives acquired by the Hutts. So long as they turned over someone to the Empire at random intervals, they could be said to be keeping up their end of the bargain. Obi-Wan wondered who to feel more sorry for - the ones that would be turned into Inquisitors or eliminated, or the poor souls who would become valuable slaves who at least would be untouched by the Sith.

Rahn had made a remarkable recovery, for the most part. He still limped quite a bit, and Obi-Wan suspected that his leg would never be completely right again. Dantooine was not renowned for its stellar medical facilities. He knew that Rahn had commenced drinking again, much to Padme's consternation. However, he could not fault the man for his habit - Obi-Wan was no stranger to alcohol himself. However, he had two people to protect, so self-punishment for past failures weren't going to help them. Rahn had no such incentive in his life, as he'd had to remind Padme on more than one occasion. He understood where she was coming from as well. _Once The Negotiator, always The Negotiator_ , he thought to himself bitterly.

It was on a cooler night that Obi-Wan found himself alone in his room and failing to find peace in meditation. He felt that something was about to occur, but couldn't place what it was or if it was good or bad. It was _frustrating_ \- but at least it was nothing like the horror that had preceded the attack on the Lars farm. He resolved to stay alert, if nothing else.

Luke had fallen asleep some time ago, and Obi-Wan could feel that Padme was crying herself to sleep. _She has gotten better about that. I wonder if she feels something too_ , he wondered. He knew that she waited until the house was quiet and she assumed that everyone was asleep before she would let it all go. The regularity of the crying jags had become less and less as time had gone on, but they hadn't ceased completely. He didn't fault her for her coping mechanism, and admired her for her considerate nature in assuming he had gone to sleep as well so as not to disturb him with her emotions. He remembered what he had been like after delivering Luke to the Lars.

Obi-Wan had practically become an alcoholic that first year on Tattooine after having discovered what had become of Anakin. He had never gotten hammered in public, always doing so in the privacy of his hut. He may have been depressed, but he was not suicidal. He had something to live for, but his failures still ate at him. He couldn't fault Owen for banishing him from Luke's life after that first year. He shuddered to think at Owen finding him unconscious or blabbering nonsense in a drunken fugue.

"Mommy?" A tired little voice rang out in the silent house. "Something feels _bad_."

Obi-Wan cursed himself again for having gotten lost in his thoughts. Luke had sensed something in his _sleep_ before he had. _Some Jedi Master I am_ , he thought. He could feel a dark presence approaching - not Vader, thank goodness, but something else. He got up and clipped his lightsaber to his belt underneath his tunic, just in case. Whoever it was was not coming for _them_ , that he could sense. _Better safe than sorry though_ , he thought as he grabbed his blaster and made for Padme's room.

Obi-Wan entered the room to find Padme shushing her tired and frightened son. She made eye contact worriedly and waved him in.

"Luke, can you make sure that you hide yourself really _really_ well?" Obi-Wan asked gently. He didn't want to frighten the boy any further than he already was, but he didn't want him to be discovered either. Whoever it was didn't need to catch wind of Luke while here on other business.

Luke nodded his head rapidly, scared wide eyes locked on his own. "What is it?" he asked barely above a whisper.

"Someone bad. But, they aren't coming here - they're here for someone or something else. I am going to keep watch. Stay here with your mother and listen to what she tells you to do, ok?" he said softly as he stroked Luke's arm. Luke nodded again and snuggled closer to his mother.

Obi-Wan discreetly slid the speeder key to Padme in an unspoken agreement to take Luke and run if it became necessary. Her red-rimmed eyes met his and she nodded almost imperceptibly. For not being a Force-sensitive, she had an amazing amount of control of her emotions, but her fear could not be completely concealed. Obi-Wan still found himself in awe of her sometimes and wondered just what kind of Jedi she would have made had she been Force-sensitive.

He shook himself from his thoughts and went outside. He dared not take the speeder or go to the ship. He made sure that no lights were near him or on his person so as not to draw unwanted attention. After a few moments, he spied a small ship flying low over their property, past Rahn's, past the Enclave, and farther out towards the more clustered settlements on the other side of the Jedi Enclave. Obi-Wan shuddered. _The Inquisitor must not have been trained to shield him or herself_ , he thought sadly and tried to squash thoughts of who they might have been before the Empire got a hold of them. Of course there was no need for shielding, since the assumption was that no one on Dantooine would know any better.

Obi-Wan nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a noise nearby and turned to find Rahn coming stealthily towards him. "Inquisitor," he hissed with disgust.

"I figured as much. They flew past the Enclave, so I'm afraid of just what they're after if it's not anything in the ruins," Obi-Wan asked quietly.

"Harvesting Force-sensitives," Rahn said with a deadly intensity. "No doubt they were waiting until things settled down again. The Empire has all the Temple records - they knew which families and settlements produced Force-sensitives from the Core and Mid Rim worlds. Those have all probably been neutralized. Now they can focus on disturbances in the Force, since there are less Force-sensitives to pinpoint across the Galaxy. They are no doubt coming for the poor untrained kids that found the Enclave."

Obi-Wan's stomach dropped. His sense of duty to the Galaxy fought with his need to protect his charges. He was stuck in the most horrible of places, but he knew that he could not interfere and draw attention to themselves. He would have to stand by like a coward and let the Inquisitor do their business, lest he ruin everything again.

"Surely you're not just going to stay here?" Rahn asked suddenly. "We need to do something!"

"No, we can't," Obi-Wan said, hating himself for it. "I cannot sanction any action against the Empire. If we get rid of the Inquisitor, Palpatine will want to know what happened, and then what? Does he send ten more of them to investigate or Vader himself?"

"It doesn't matter - can't you see?" Rahn asked with disgust. "The Empire is _already_ here. Do you think that they'll just come this one time and not return again? They will come back again and again and again - until they either fill their quotas or eliminate everyone they can. It'll be another massacre!"

"Which going after the Inquisitor will only speed up," Obi-Wan tried to reason. "That is a very small ship - they can only be taking a few people, if they even do so. The best thing to do at the moment is to wait it out and see what happens. We can make a better decision once we have some idea of what they are doing here. If something happens to Palpatine's toy, then the wrath of the Sith will be upon this entire planet."

"Your attachment is clouding your judgement," Rahn said angrily. "Do you think I don't know who you're protecting? The former Senator and her illegitimate child? Your former _padawan's_ illegitimate child?"

Obi-Wan's breath caught in his throat - he had been _so_ blind and stupid. Rahn may have been a mostly functioning alcoholic, but he had forgotten about the _functioning_ part of the equation. He should have shielded Luke better and taught him earlier. He should have gotten them better disguises. He said nothing as he tried to tamp down on the feeling of failure creeping up again.

"Those who are silent are understood to consent," Rahn sneered. "It's no wonder the _Chosen One_ failed. He had broken the code - he had divided loyalties. And here you are, trying to salvage what's left of your attachment to your former padawan. You will end up failing _yourself_ as well if you continue on in this manner. As Jedi, it is our duty to help those in need. And right now, those innocent kids are going to be destroyed for the sake of your _attachment_."

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth and tried not to picture himself driving a fist through Rahn's at the moment. " _Think_ for just a minute. While it is well and noble to want to help - would we really be doing so? Think about the consequences for the _entire_ planet should we Jedi be discovered to be hiding here. Think about the reprisals that the _entire_ population would suffer due to our actions."

Rahn backed up a bit at that argument. Obi-Wan hoped that the man wouldn't be so stubborn as to continue to press the argument - but he was to be disappointed yet again. "That may be so - but you can't honestly tell me that that woman and child are more important than any innocents that we could be helping otherwise. We could be teaching then to shield, like you did that _illegitimate_ child."

"He is not _illegitimate_. He is also not responsible for our failures. I will not see him punished for his parents' mistakes. I am not sacrificing an innocent life for the sake of others. I have my duty - my mission, and failing it is not an option. That boy is our only hope for the future," he argued forcefully. He was offended on Luke's behalf now.

Rahn scoffed, "Listen to yourself, would you? You are punishing the child by expecting him to succeed where his _failure_ of a father didn't. You want to put the pressure of saving the Galaxy on a three year old?"

"Four, actually,"

Rahn's hand slapped his sides in exasperation. "Does it matter? Were you really just planning on sitting back and allowing the Empire to continue on its course while you waited for that _child_ to be old enough to take on the Sith? You're Obi-Wan Kenobi! You killed a Sith before! You could have taken _any_ of those other children out there that were strong in the Force and taught them to at least protect themselves! _This_ was your and Yoda's grand plan? To allow the Sith to destroy at will until the _time was right_?" he asked incredulously.

"I don't know if you realize just how popular Palpatine is still, even after this little spat with the Hutts. He was able to successfully avoid all-out war, and it's not like the Jedi have many defenders left. Were we to succeed in removing Palpatine and Vader, what next? There are not enough of us left to organize and mount any kind of reconstruction of the Order safely, as there will be the rest of the Imperial machine against us, and most likely out for vengeance. There is also the matter of no public support. Should we do anything of the sort, we will only be endangering those innocent people caught alongside us," he begged.

Rahn deflated somewhat, but his righteous anger still remained. "Does the Senator agree with your _plan_?" he asked acidly.

"No, she does not," Obi-Wan replied truthfully. "She wants her child to make the choice for himself. She does want him to be able to protect himself, but she does not want the _Jedi lifestyle_ imposed on him, and I can't say that I disagree with her anymore on that account."

"And if he chooses not to?" Rahn asked shrewdly.

"Then we do what we must, and hope that the time is right to act. Now is not the right time. We have no support and would have even less support should we do anything rash," he said dejectedly.

"Then there's no point!" Rahn pointed out in exasperation.

"It's a waiting game either way, you do realize," Obi-Wan retorted. Even his patience was finite. "We lose no matter what we do at _this moment_. It is _not_ the right time to move against the Empire and reveal ourselves. We do what we must. The Galaxy has not rejected the Empire yet. Until such a time, all we will do is get ourselves and anyone associated with us killed, which will do _nothing_ to further our cause or weaken the Empire."

Rahn's eyes flashed with anger and old hurts. "I understand, but that doesn't mean that I like it," he said tightly.

"Neither do I. But we must do what we must, and trust in the Force," Obi-Wan said. "I am more sorry than you could ever know, my friend." And he was. Morning would reveal the extent of the damage wrought by the Empire and more rational decision-making could take place then. One thing Obi-Wan was certain of, however, was that Dantooine was no longer a safe haven for them. The Empire would surely be back, and the risk was too great to stay any longer. And Rahn himself had just become a liability - Obi-Wan wondered why he hadn't listened to Padme about him in the first place.


	26. Chapter 26

Padme jumped when Luke jolted awake and she reached for her blaster. "Uncle Ben's back," he whispered in a tired yet excited voice. She cursed herself for being so jumpy but was relieved that it was only Obi-Wan that had gotten Luke's attention and not something _else_.

"Do you still feel the bad thing?" she asked as she heard the door open and close from the other side of the house, admitting Obi-Wan in.

"It went far away, but it's still there," he said rather vaguely as he gestured up towards the ceiling.

Obi-Wan came into the room and surveyed his two charges briefly before announcing: "I do not believe that this is a safe place for us anymore. Inquisitors have shown interest in some of the population here."

"I sincerely hope that you are already packed and ready to go then," Padme said neutrally, in hopes of not upsetting Luke. She could tell that Obi-Wan was trying to do the same. "Luke, why don't you go get your favorite toys and bring them in here for me?"

"We gonna go away?" he asked sadly.

"Yes, we need to go away, Luke. I need you to keep hiding like you have been, ok? That is the most important thing you can do right now so the bad people don't come here," Obi-Wan said as he crouched down to be on the little boy's eye level. "We'll go somewhere nicer, and maybe not so cold at night," he winked. Luke still had issues with cold weather and complained frequently about feeling cold when no one else did.

Luke nodded and walked to his room. Padme sighed - her little boy was acting in an awfully subdued manner. She had no doubt that he still felt the tension in the adults regardless of how well they tried to hide it. He was his father's child, after all. She pulled her datapads with holos of Leia from her secret spot and hid them in her bag while Luke was away. Obi-Wan looked on for a few moments without saying a word, then came closer to her and spoke lowly: "I sense Luke's occupied right now, and this is the opportune moment to tell you of the latest development."

Padme tensed, "What new development? Is there something else on top of the Inquisitors out there?"

"No, it's rather… Well, I should have listened to you regarding Rahn," he spit out rather awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. Padme said nothing but narrowed her eyes at him to get him to continue. "He knew who you were, and ascertained Luke's identity as a result. I can't in good conscience allow you and Luke to stay anywhere near him. I don't think he would maliciously reveal your existence, but he's not got any self control left and I doubt that he would be able to resist revealing what he knows if the Empire got a hold of him."

Padme's shoulders sagged as she shook her head. "I _knew_ it," she said resignedly, even as she knew that her statement wouldn't help matters any.

Obi-Wan winced imperceptibly, but she caught it out of the corner of her eye anyway. "We will need to get _much_ better disguises this time around. And different names as well. I suggest staying on the move for a few days and not trying to reach our destination immediately. We need to see where else exactly the Empire is expanding its raids, however sporadic they may be."

Padme nodded. "We can get a hold of someone on a secure line on one of our stops and see what the chatter reveals before we make any big decisions." It made sense - Dantooine had become unsafe due to the Empire's sudden presence, so it stood to reason that their back-up locations could have been compromised as well.

"Well, I shall retire for the night once I have packed and we can leave in the morning," Obi-Wan said as he started to leave the room.

"In the morning? Shouldn't we leave _now_?" Padme asked incredulously.

Obi-Wan turned to face her and cautioned her to keep her voice down with hand gestures. "No, there is still a Star Destroyer in orbit. No doubt monitoring to see if anyone decides to do just that. We wait until they are gone, or try to leave during a reasonable hour when all other space traffic will be active, so as not to arouse suspicion. I also do not want to alert Rahn to our plan. The last thing we need is him following us and either trying to come along or be able to identify our ship."

Padme relaxed a bit - that made sense, even if her nerves weren't soothed yet. She nodded quickly and then smiled for her son when he returned with a pitiful array of toys, most of them made with spare parts he had found. "Can I sleep in here with you, mommy?" he asked as he used his best puppy dog eyes on her. She nodded silently and watched him grin in relief. It would make things easier in the morning to have him already there and ready to go. I _t might even make things easier still if he's still asleep during the speeder ride to the ship_ , she thought a little guiltily. She wasn't quite sure how he would take another uprooting given how traumatic his last one had been.

Morning came sooner _and_ later than Padme would have liked. She stretched gingerly so as not to wake her sleeping son, who was snoring away right next to her. She got dressed as quickly as she could and found the housecleaning droid. She had instructed it to clean the entire house and remove all fingerprints or any DNA evidence from the abode before she had retired for the night. She found the droid diligently at work in the kitchen, which looked to be nearly spotless. Padme donned a pair of gloves and started to remove any items that seemed to be too personal, like mugs and teas and certain imported foods that might give anyone any clues as to their true identities. One could never be too paranoid.

Obi-Wan materialized from outside and gave her a curt nod - he was also wearing gloves, she noted. "I have taken the first load of necessities to the speeder. It seems the Star Destroyer is still orbiting, but it looks like they will be ready to vacate the system soon. Chatter indicates that they are merely monitoring for any possible unrest after last night's _activities_."

"And what would those activities entail, besides the obvious taking of Force-sensitives?" Padme asked, even though in her gut she already knew the answer.

"The absolute razing and destruction of the victims' homes. There's smoke still visible from the edge of the property. The fires had to have burned all night and are still not out," Obi-Wan replied sadly. He felt like a failure all over again - he was doomed to never be able to help those who truly needed it. But he knew that his primary duty was to Padme and Luke, and that even if he had succeeded in saving those poor souls last night, the Empire would have sent reinforcements. Then not only would they have been lost anyway, but Padme and Luke would have been as well. He took small comfort in the fact that his original mission was still not lost. He jumped slightly when he felt Padme's hand on his shoulder and looked up to see sympathetic tear-filled eyes. She was not condemning him, yet somehow her understanding made it that much worse, ironically enough.

Obi-Wan collected himself and took the last of the bags to the speeder as Padme finished emptying out the home of any other personal effects. She went to her room to collect Luke and found him sitting up sleepily petting Petey. "C'mon, sweetheart," she told him softly as she stroked his hair. "It's time to go. Say goodbye to Petey."

There was an immediate reaction to that: "No! We can't leave Petey! He's _family_!" Luke shouted in a near-panic.

 _Oh great going, Padme_ , she thought to herself as she gritted her teeth. _This is not going to plan already_. "Honey, we can't take him with us. He might get sick in space or might not like where we go. He'd be happier here - it's his home," she tried to reason.

"No, Mommy, his home is with _us_ ," he countered with tear-filled eyes.

She was about to argue again when Obi-Wan entered out of nowhere and it took all of her self-control not to jump out of her skin. "I say let him bring the animal along. He can earn his keep by hunting any pests that have entered the ship," Obi-Wan said as sensibly as she could. Padme looked at him incredulously - after all, Obi-Wan had been against keeping the animal in the first place. "Don't look at me like that. I _know_ there are pests on that ship. It's inevitable - that ship has been sitting out in the forest for the better part of a year now. Besides, I'd rather we get going than have a long drawn-out argument."

Padme relented and made her son get dressed once he realized his beloved pet wasn't going to be banished. She took Luke's hand and made a last visual sweep of the residence and tried not to feel too upset over leaving the first home she and her son had shared. She looked down at Luke, who was fiercely clutching Petey with his free arm, and smiled at him.

Obi-Wan had taken all of the personal effects that they could not take with them and set a bonfire on the other side of the property from where the speeder was parked. Once he saw Padme and Luke exit the farmhouse, he went inside and deactivated the housecleaning droid. He made sure to take out its memory chip altogether, not trusting that someone might be able to recover any data if he just wiped its memory. "I thank you very much for your excellent service," he told it and wondered just when he had started to view droids as almost sentient beings. It seemed he would never be free of Anakin's influence.

Obi-Wan dropped Padme and Luke off at the ship and emptied the speeder of their belongings. As they settled in the ship, he took the speeder for the short drive to the lake and killed the repulsors. Very carefully, he used the Force to levitate the speeder over the deepest part of the lake, and let it sink until he was sure it would not be visible to anyone. He ran back to the ship and kept his senses open for anyone who could have followed them. He didn't sense anyone else, and hoped that Rahn hadn't followed but kept his shields up in order to not be sensed. He was already making sure that both he and Luke were shielded, and the lack of rest from the night before was getting to him.

Obi-Wan boarded the ship to find Padme sitting in the co-pilot's seat and Luke seated behind her with Petey in his lap. "Everything taken care of?" Padme asked as casually as she could.

"Everything that I could think of," he replied and hoped that there hadn't been anything that either he or Padme had overlooked. The ship came to life and they coasted over the lake as Padme marveled at the reflection of the rising sun over the water. She felt a pang of regret that they had not gotten to know the beauty of their refuge better during their time there.

"Wow," she heard Luke say behind her. "It looks like fire on the water," he breathed in awe. That made her think of Mustafar and she shook her head to clear the image. She looked over at Obi-Wan and saw that his jaw was clenched - no doubt the same thought had occurred to him as well. _He could just be tense over the entire situation as a whole_ , she mused to herself.

They joined the space traffic leaving the atmosphere, which was mostly unmolested as far as they could see. Someone hailed their ship from the Star Destroyer: "Corellian vessel - please state your purpose and destination," a crisp and official-sounding voice ordered.

"Corellian vessel Silver Wings returning to Corellia after completing delivery," Obi-Wan said in a decent Corellian accent.

"Nature of delivery?" the voice demanded again. Padme's palms began to sweat and she wiped them nervously on her pants. She turned around and smiled at Luke, who was wide-eyed with fear, in hopes of reassuring him.

"Droid parts for sale," Obi-Wan replied in a business-like tone. The Empire would likely not question his story - it was far more believable that a backwards place like Dantooine would be a better venture for parts than new droids. Most beings living there were not able to afford new droids, so they were constantly fixing the ones they had. Obi-Wan only hoped that they would buy the story and let them proceed as they were. He didn't fancy trying to outrun a Star Destroyer and/or putting their nondescript little ship on the Empire's wanted list.

After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, the official voice responded: "Silver Wings, you have your clearance. Please continue on to your destination. Any deviation will be dealt with accordingly."

"Understood," Obi-Wan responded curtly. The transmission cut off almost immediately. He signed with relief internally and set his coordinates for Corellia. Once they were in hyperspace he let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in and heard Padme do the same next to him. "I suggest repainting the ship once we are on Corellia. We can make our calls to get our information and our new disguises as well," he said, glad to have new tasks to focus on.

Padme nodded wordlessly and rubbed her cramped hands. She had been holding on to the arms of her seat with a death grip during the comm exchange, and her hands felt numb and painful all at once. She turned around to see that Luke was staring between her and Ben expectantly: "Are we safe now?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes, Luke, we left the bad people behind us," Padme said with a smile and hoped that she hadn't just lied to her son. Luke looked at her very seriously, as if he could look into her very soul, and then nodded once and smiled as he leaned back and relaxed into his seat. She and Obi-Wan exchanged a look. _Here's hoping there's no bad guys hanging around Corellia_ , she thought as she let herself sink into her own seat - if only for a moment.


	27. Chapter 27

The first day in hyperspace had been spent rather uneventfully. Obi-Wan had managed to get some much needed rest, but still felt uneasy for some reason he could not discern. Padme had tried to ignore his ill-concealed unease in order to keep Luke calm. He had taken to asking all kinds of questions about every button and function on the ship. _Definitely his father's son_ , she thought to herself with a pang as she kissed the top of his head after he had finally fallen asleep on her lap. Petey had managed to catch two mice already, one which he consumed, the other which he played with after it had been long dead. Obi-Wan had taken pity on the poor corpse and sent it out the airlock while muttering about the "feline at least earned his keep."

Padme had started to doze off herself when the ship was suddenly violently ripped from hyperspace and she instinctively wrapped her arms around Luke as they all pitched forward. Luke awoke with a cry, disoriented and groggy still. Obi-Wan was immediately on alert.

"Is it the Empire?" Padme asked after she had regained her wits. She absently noticed a drop of blood land on Luke's head and realized belatedly that she had bitten her lip when her chin had collided with the top of her son's head.

"No, pirates," Obi-Wan said with distaste. The ship shuddered once more and then began to be pulled towards the pirate vessel.

"Real space pirates?" Luke asked with awe. Padme grimaced - to a four year old, pirates must seem like the most romantic notion.

"Unfortunately, yes," Obi-Wan answered. "I need you to be a good boy and not say anything. You listen to your mother, ok?" he said seriously. Luke nodded very seriously in return and turned to look out the front as they came closer to the pirate ship.

The ship finally stopped and they could hear the pirates' footsteps as they docked and boarded. Obi-Wan fought his hardest to keep a straight face as he recognized the lead pirate, Hondo Ohnaka. He hoped that the crusty old pirate wouldn't recognize him and make a ruckus.

"Evening, friends," he gesticulated wildly. "Hope you don't mind if we take a look through your ship for any valuables." Obi-Wan wondered just how low Hondo must have fallen that he was resorting to robbing innocuous passenger ships. No one dared say anything as the pirates rifled through their bags.

Obi-Wan's heart stopped for a moment as one of the pirates came across the bag with the holocrons and opened it up for inspection. "Boss, lookee wat we got 'ere," one of them rasped as he held out the open bag for inspection. Hondo backed up while keeping his eyes and weapons trained on the three humans in front of him and then looked into the bag.

He did a double take and his eyes opened comically wide as he took a look at Padme. "Well, it's not every day that we get to see a dead Senator carrying a bunch of Jedi holocrons around. I'm sure there's a _very_ interesting story behind this now," he said with relish.

Padme reeled in shock, not over having been recognized, but over the holocrons. What were they doing on the ship? She dared not look at Obi-Wan even though her instincts were screaming to chastise him for this gross indiscretion. "Nothing to say then, Senator Amidala?" the pirate asked as he came in for a closer inspection. "And who would this little fellow be?" he asked as he pointed his blaster at Luke.

Padme's instincts snapped in at that moment and she surprised herself with how quickly she reacted. She suddenly found herself having ripped the blaster from Ohnaka and pointing it right back in his face. "Stay back, Luke," she growled as she moved to cover in front of him. All eyes were on her - all of them bulging comically wide. She tried her level best to keep a fierce face on and not let anyone know just how terrified and shocked she was at her own behavior. The other two pirates behind Ohnaka started to inch forward on either side of their leader and were positioning themselves to take her out. She dared not move to either side or forward, lest it leave her son exposed, but if she didn't move, then they would take her out anyway. She gave them a warning look each, but they seemed undeterred, one of them giving her a lascivious smile for her effort.

Suddenly one of them screamed and started dancing around, and that's when everyone saw Petey had jumped on the pirate and sunken his claws into the back of the pirate's neck right beneath his helmet. The cat was positioned in such an angle that he could not shake him off or grab him and throw him off, so he danced around and knocked into the other two pirates as a result. Obi-Wan jumped into action and pulled his blaster out, stunning Hondo first and the the other pirate before he had a chance to react. Padme stunned the third, dancing one after she made sure that she wouldn't hit Petey.

She rounded on Obi-Wan: "I can't believe you killed them! Now we're going to have to clean up this mess!"

"I didn't kill them. I stunned them!" Obi-Wan said as he pointed to the lifeless forms before him. He stopped himself and then checked the setting on his blaster. " _Kriff_ ," he breathed out as he realized the enormity of what he'd just done, however accidentally.

A loud gasp was heard. "That was a bad word! Aunt Beru said that boys that said bad words had to eat soap," Luke piped up.

Padme gave Obi-Wan another look and then tried to shield Luke from the sight before them. "Uncle Ben is going to have to do a lot more than eat some soap to clean up this mess," she said as she picked him up and stepped over the crumpled bodies in the doorway.

"Petey saved us! Did you see that, Mommy?" Luke crowed. Obi-Wan sighed and put his hand to his forehead. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He felt with the Force and sensed that there were no signs of life aboard the pirate ship. _Strange,_ he thought. But, if this was what Hondo's crew had been reduced to, then it made sense why their small little ship had been a target.

Obi-Wan checked the holocrons and made sure that they were safe. Once that was done, he hid the bag again and hoped that Luke would not go digging. He had forgotten all about them in his haste to leave and now realized the enormity of this new...situation.

He used the Force to take all three of the pirates back through to their ship. He knew he would need to destroy their ship. There could not be any evidence of them having come into contact - it was imperative. However, he did take advantage of the secure comm to reach Bail Organa. He waited for what seemed like an interminable time until Bail's form appeared in front of him.

"Obi-Wan?" he asked with obvious confusion. "Where in the blazes are you?"

"We had to leave Dantooine - it was no longer safe for us. However, we seem to have run into some old pirate friends en route to Corellia. I am hoping that you can give me an update as to the Empire's whereabouts. I'd like not to take my charges anywhere where they might be discovered."

Bail Organa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Most of the Outer Rim is in complete chaos right now, as you know, especially around Hutt Space. This has caused the Empire to work even harder at having to defend the Outer Rim shipping lanes, so your best bet would be as far away from there as possible, and nowhere near the Core."

Obi-Wan nodded. "We are going to stop at Corellia and update our appearances as well as that of the ship. Is it safe, even temporarily, or should we go somewhere else?"

"No, Corellia should be fine, but do make sure not to spend more than a few days there, if possible. Once you decide where to go, comm me again, but from a secure line and I shall see about meeting you in person."

"Has something occurred?" Obi-Wan asked with some trepidation.

"Yes, and I would much rather discuss it in person, if you will," Bail Organa replied cryptically.

"I shall let you know as soon as we have decided where we will go and where to meet," Obi-Wan agreed. Bail nodded once and cut off the transmission without further ado. Obi-Wan wondered just what he had interrupted.

He went ahead and set the charges for explosion after they would have been long gone and perused the meager acquisitions the pirates had to find anything of value. At the last minute he grabbed some cleaning supplies and set to work on the blood the pirates had left on the floor. Thankfully it was not much.

Padme inspected his handiwork and nodded once as she placed Luke in his seat and put his crash-webbing on. She sat in the co-pilot's chair without saying a word.

Obi-Wan steered them away from the pirate ship and got far away enough to make sure that the explosion occurred, but that they were safely out of its reach. Once the deed was done, he turned to Padme, who still wore a frown. "We need to talk once the little one is not listening," he said gravely.

"Yes we do," Padme said and left it at that. She was glad that her son did not truly understand death and what he had just seen. However, the past few days had shaken her greatly, as had the mistakes that had been made. Things were going to change - they were not going to be able to survive otherwise.


	28. Chapter 28

After the excitement from the pirates had died down, Luke went back to sleep and Obi-Wan altered their course for a less direct approach to Corellia. It would add an extra day to their travel, but it was a safer route from what they had ascertained from the holonet due to pirate infestation on the major routes. It seemed that almost none of them wanted to be caught in the crossfire between the Empire and the Hutts, so robbing ordinary people was the way they were making their living until things calmed down. Only the major smuggling rings had enough financial protection and firepower to keep running jobs for the Hutts.

Padme checked to make sure that Luke was full and well asleep before she sat back in the co-pilot's seat and leveled Obi-Wan with a glare. "What is the meaning of those holocrons on this ship? What if we had been abducted by more competent pirates and they had turned us over to the Empire?"

"I'll admit that that was a major oversight on my part," Obi-Wan said as contritely as he could. "I had promised Rahn that I would guard the holocrons so that they would not be lost or looted what with all the activity around the abandoned Enclave. He didn't know about the ship - I made sure he had no idea about it when I hid them," he hastened to add at her look of alarm. "I don't know what to do about them now, and I apologize for not having told you about them. However, I do not regret having them in my possession, if I may be perfectly honest. The thought of the Empire having them makes me ill. I also can't help but feel that safekeeping them will mean all the difference for any future Order that may arise. I need to have some sort of hope in these dark times," he finished somberly.

Padme deflated a bit and shook her head - she had no appetite for the argument any further. Obi-Wan had lost more than she had - he only had Luke and herself as any kind of reminder of or link to his past life. At least her family was still alive, and she had her son with her. Guilt still ate at her for the part she had played, however unwittingly, in the destruction of all that both of them had ever held dear. "I just hope that you will tell me in the future if you do anything of the sort again. We will not survive if we cannot trust each other fully and make sure that we are in agreement with our goals and aspirations," she pled.

Obi-Wan nodded once in agreement, seemingly chastened. "I'm tempted to make a detour to Dagobah and let Yoda keep these, but I dare not risk being followed and exposing him. I will figure out a safer place for them for the future. In the meantime, I suppose that I shall have to make sure that even if I see any other Jedi survivors that I keep my distance. I only hope that no one has gotten to or will get to Rahn."

"Or that he does something stupid after being spurred on by _liquid courage_ ," Padme finished with distaste. She knew it was unbecoming of a former Senator to keep bringing up Rahn's untrustworthiness, but she couldn't help but worry about Obi-Wan's judgement after all that had just transpired. She selfishly wanted to keep Luke and herself safe, and by extension Leia and her family on Naboo. The Galaxy had not repaid her tireless efforts for peace with kindness, and she did not itch for social justice the way she once had, the way she suspected that Obi-Wan still did. However, she could not blame him entirely - she had had a choice in her career. She could have given up her entire career at any point and retired to have her family in peace, which is what she should have done in the first place, in retrospect. Obi-Wan had been taken from any family he had and been raised to know nothing else than utter selflessness in service to the greater good. He'd never imagined himself doing anything else, nor had he ever been prepared for a different life. She sighed and looked down at her hands, which had twisted themselves into knots. She opened them up and wondered just when her hands had aged _so_ _much_ \- they looked like they belonged to a woman at least ten years older.

The rest of the trip was much more subdued, but the trio found games to occupy their time until their arrival on Corellia. "Well, here we go," Obi-Wan said as he prepared to pull them out of hyperspace. Padme sat as tensely as he did as the lines of hyperspace receded and Corellia materialized in front of them. After scanning extensively for any Imperial or other hostile presences and finding none, Obi-Wan released the breath he had been holding. "It looks like the Force is on our side today," he said with a quirked smile.

Padme released her breath as well and smiled back with relief. There was much to be done upon arrival. After they had descended the ship, Padme frowned at seeing the damage the pirates had wrought on it - the shudders hadn't been only from the tractor beam, it seemed. Something had damaged the exterior paint and left ugly burns and gouges on top of the damage incurred from sitting in a forest for a year. Obi-Wan's gaze met hers and he sighed. "I think we should see about accommodations for our stay, and then I shall speak with our contact again. Would you like for me to take care of the ship's maintenance as well?"

"No, I think I can handle the ship. I'd much rather you handled the other specifics. I think Luke would probably enjoy the mechanic shop and stay out of less trouble that way," she said. She also didn't want Obi-Wan to know that she was reluctant to speak to Bail, even though she was sure that he could sense it. She didn't know if she'd be able to speak to him about anything official and not let her obvious conflict regarding Leia take over. After the last several emotional days, she didn't trust herself to not say or do something rash that might damage their relationship irrevocably.

"Very well, shall we then?" Obi-Wan asked as they began to make their way out of the spaceport. It was slow-going since Padme had to practically drag Luke away - who was staring wide-eyed and enraptured at all the different ships on display. _His father's son indeed_ , she thought with both fondness and irritation. They checked in at a nearby motel and Obi-Wan made his way with his encrypted comm to a secure location to speak with Bail Organa again. As he was about to reach his destination, a nudge in the Force directed him right behind him and he reached out without thinking to grab the hand that was aiming for his pocket. "Perhaps you should be a little stealthier in your approach next time, young one," Obi-Wan said to the gangly youth caught in his grasp.

"Let me go, old man!" came the insolent reply from the surprised young man, who couldn't be more than fourteen standard years by Obi-Wan's reckoning. His voice hadn't finished changing and cracked a little still. Obi-Wan had to give him credit for recovering from his surprise so quickly.

"What is it that you need? If it is money, know that I don't have much to spare. However, if it is food or something else that you desire, then I'd be honored if you'd join me for a meal," Obi-Wan offered as he felt the Force tell him that this young man was important.

The young man was caught off guard yet again, but rebounded quickly and narrowed his eyes at Obi-Wan, who still held on fast to his wrist. "Are you some kind of pervert or something? You a _slaver_?" the boy asked with suspicion. Obi-Wan wondered just what kind of horrors he had lived with that those were the first assumptions he had made about a perfect stranger.

"No, no such thing. Just a man whose life has been upended and would like to find some way to do good again in this Galaxy, however small the manner may be," he said honestly as he started to loosen his hold on the boy's wrist. "The name is Ben Kenobi. I promise you I mean you no harm. However, I cannot allow you to just walk away with the few credits I have. I do have people depending on me for their survival, so your attempt at thievery comes at a bad time for me. I'd much rather we find some kind of way to help you out for the moment that doesn't involve me letting others down."

The boy slowly pulled his hand away and gave Obi-Wan one of the most penetrating looks he had ever received. The boy may have been as Force-blind as they come, but Obi-Wan could sense that he had a shrewd mind and an innate talent for reading people. "Name's Han Solo. I got people that depend on me too, y'know?"

"That I do," Obi-Wan agreed. He wondered if this street urchin was a leader of other abandoned children, or if he was part of a bigger operation that relied on parting tourists and passersby of their belongings. He seemed to recall stories of orphaned children being used as pickpockets in Corellia by local thug rings - but it all seemed like a lifetime ago. Obi-Wan also realized that he truly _was_ hungry. He hadn't felt much of an appetite after their encounter with the pirates and his own guilt over his mistakes, which had only been compounded every time he looked at either Padme or Luke. He'd gotten a little space from them and could breathe more easily, however horrible that sounded. He also realized that there was no point in contacting Bail at the moment, as he and Padme had not decided on where to go yet. "Know of anywhere where I can get good food and decent holonews reception?" he asked the boy. At least he could be pragmatic about the situation.

"Yeah, I know a place. Follow me," the boy said as he turned and walked down the street without waiting for Obi-Wan to follow. Obi-Wan shrugged mentally and wondered what the Force was playing at with this child, but he followed nonetheless. After walking a few blocks, they came up to a nondescript establishment and went inside. Obi-Wan took a quick look around and saw several spacers and other assorted individuals that he would have normally associated around any spaceport. Having felt no danger from the Force and no one with any interest in him, he found a table near a window and sat himself on one side of the booth. The boy followed soon after holding two menus. The waitress who came up looked bored and sounded less than enthusiastic about taking their orders, but complied anyway. The only emotion elicited out of her was a raised eyebrow at the sheer volume of food that Han Solo had ordered, obviously taking advantage of a free meal. Obi-Wan said nothing and let the boy order what he wanted and wondered when he had last had a decent meal. The baggy clothes on his frame suggested that it had been quite some time - but that also could be attributed to an adolescent growth spurt. Obi-Wan doubted the latter, but his heart hoped that was the case, however much his head said otherwise.

They didn't speak much, but the silence wasn't awkward either. It was strange just how comfortable Obi-Wan felt with this street urchin. Once the food arrived, the boy dug in ravenously and Obi-Wan took his time with his smaller meal as his eyes drifted towards the holo over the bar and tried not to think of this boy's similarities to Anakin's teenage table manners. In other words - he possessed _none_. It seemed that the Empire was undertaking small raids in random Outer Rim planets and "rooting out Jedi traitors" where they had taken to hiding. Most likely there really weren't any Jedi being found, rather pockets of Force-sensitives that were out of reach of the Hutts that would either be disposed of or found to be put to some use by Palpatine. Obi-Wan crossed out two possible destinations for them to settle on based on the raid patterns, even if the Empire had not gone there yet. Their proximity alone was enough of a deterrent, since there was no small chance that those planets would come under scrutiny next. Obi-Wan's first choice, Lothal, was set to join the Empire itself. Tendrils had been sent out from Lothal's current government and negotiations were already underway. No Hutt world would be safe, even if the Empire would not set foot on them. It looked like Anchoron was the only other possible destination that had been agreed upon with Padme before. Obi-Wan sighed and resigned himself to telling Padme and then Bail that that would be the best choice for them.

A loud belch brought Obi-Wan's attention back to his meal companion, who at least had the decency to wipe his mouth. There was not a crumb left on his plate and Obi-Wan was tempted to give him the meager remains of his own meal, but he knew he needed his strength to keep his wits about him. He had not been at his sharpest as of late. "Feeling better?" he asked the boy as he patted his now bulging stomach happily.

"I have a food baby," he grinned mischievously. "I always wanted to be able to say that, and now I can. Thanks, man," he said with that faux swagger that seemed to infect all teenage boys.

"You are quite welcome, Mr Solo," Obi-Wan said with some amusement and paid the bill. "Well, I thank you very much for your recommendation of dining establishment, but I must be on my way now. Pleasure doing business with you," he said cordially and made for the door.

Obi-Wan spied the general store he had passed on his way to the eatery and made his way in to look for hair dyes and other assorted aids for disguising Padme and himself. "You on the run from someone or something?" came the question from behind him. It seemed that this character had become taken with him.

"I grow bored with my appearance and like to change it on a regular basis. I find that it keeps life more interesting," he hedged as he finally picked a mousy brown color that no one would look twice at for himself. The current darker hair he sported would be recognizable by anyone who had been on Dantooine, but it also made his eyes stand out more, which he felt made him more recognizable still.

Han scoffed and crossed his arms. "Whatever you say, man," he drawled, clearly unimpressed with the explanation just given.

Obi-Wan made his purchases and continued back to the hotel room only to find it empty. He left his purchases and went back in the direction of the spaceport - perhaps Padme had gone back to the ship for some reason. He noticed that Han was still there and was now following him. "Can I help you with something?" he asked before they entered the spaceport proper.

"Where are you going? Wherever you're going, I'll bet it's better than here," Han replied with more of that faked ennui that gave away so much more than he realized.

"Are you running from _someone_ or _something_?" Obi-Wan couldn't help but ask. The Force was telling him that this boy was still important and that his future was somehow tied to his, although he could not for the life of him understand why.

Han scowled but then gave a sarcastic smile. "Good one, man. Shoulda known that would come back to bite me," he said as he shuffled his feet. Suddenly Han looked at him with an intensity and desperation he had never experienced before: "You are the first person that's been nice to me since I can remember. I'm a good worker - I can fix things, I can do whatever you need. I just need to get out of here. I can earn my passage and you can dump me off wherever you want if you need to. I just need to get out of here," he said bluntly.

"Won't there be anyone looking for you?" Obi-Wan asked, even though he knew he would not like the answer.

"Not anyone that has any legal claim. I'm a nobody and they wouldn't care if I got hit by a speeder so long as they could take the credits off of my dead body," the boy said bluntly and honestly.

Obi-Wan warred with himself internally for all of five seconds, if that. The Force was telling him to take this boy under his wing - that he served a greater purpose than anyone could know right now. "Very well. I do warn you though - anything goes missing or I suspect any thievery - and there will be severe consequences," he stressed. "I must also get the approval from my companions as well - it is not only my decision to make."

Han nodded as nonchalantly as he could, but Obi-Wan could tell that he was excited at the possibility of getting away from whatever terrible situation he was in. "Follow me, then, as you were," Obi-Wan said neutrally and continued on towards the ship. However, upon reaching his destination, he found their little ship nowhere in sight. In its spot was a round Corellian freighter that had seen better days. The ramp was down and he distinctly heard a young voice shout: "Mommy! Uncle Ben is back!" Not two seconds later, Padme appeared at the top of ramp, followed by Luke bursting past her and skidding to a halt as he noticed the stranger.

"What happened to our ship?" Obi-Wan asked, genuinely perplexed and also a little panicked at what ,if anything, she had done to the holocrons.

"After reviewing the repair and repaint estimate, and considering our earlier encounter with pirates, I decided to go with speed and versatility instead of nondescript and utilitarian," she said as casually as could be. "What do you think?"

"It looks like a tick," Obi-Wan blurted, still in shock over what she had done. At her blank look he explained: "It is a blood-sucking insect which attaches to its host's skin and clings with pincers much like those," he gestured at the front of the ship. "When engorged, the body looks remarkably like the body of the ship."

"You're comparing a YT-1300 to a _parasite_? Do you even know how fast those things can go? You're insulting Corellian quality, man," Han burst in, voice cracking, obviously insulted. Padme turned to the newcomer and raised an eyebrow. "Han Solo, ma'am," he said and stuck his hand out for her along with a crooked smile. Obi-Wan supposed that this was Han trying to be charming.

"Anna, pleased to meet you," Padme said diplomatically, yet Obi-Wan could tell that she was amused. "This is my son Luke," she gestured down at her son who was looking at Han with undisguised awe.

"He's a _teenager_ ," he whispered in an awestruck tone as if he'd encountered a mythical or magical creature.

"And a good guide," Obi-Wan said as he stifled a laugh at Luke's expense. He supposed that to a small child a teenager must be something special, but not to the degree just exhibited. Padme gave him a look and he knew he'd have some explaining to do, but he felt that this new addition to their group was going to be a permanent one whether they wanted it or not. The Force hummed in contentment and he was not about to question it now. It was a feeling he had not felt in so long, he had almost forgotten what it was like. Obi-Wan smiled and hoped that rescuing this particular _pathetic lifeform_ would make Qui-Gon proud.


	29. Chapter 29

Obi-Wan sighed as he heard a yelp from the hallway outside the cockpit followed by a few Corellian swear words. The ship had seemed like a good investment at the time, but now that they had been in it for a few days, there were new repairs needing to be done being found every other minute or so. He checked the chronometer and got up to see what was wrong since they still had an hour to go until they met Bail Organa at the rendezvous point he had given them. Obi-Wan found Padme scolding Han as she put a bacta patch on a burned finger of his. He heard a sizzling sound and followed it to a sparking wire that had come loose from the ceiling and broken the ceiling tile on the floor. He wordlessly grabbed the wooden old style broom and used the handle to push the wire back into the ceiling for the moment and swept up the ceiling tile pieces with the same implement.

"Thank you, Ben," Padme said tiredly. She had a bruise on her left cheek from when the stabilizer had decided to act up during their last landing and sent her flying towards the control panel. She refused to admit that trading ships had been a mistake, or that at the very least she could have been a little more judicious in finding a new one. The one bright spot that they had agreed on was that there was more room for four people and a feline on the freighter.

Han scowled at the ceiling tile and then addressed Obi-Wan: "I can find the fuse for that and turn it off so I can fix the wire. It doesn't look like it would affect anything major." The boy had tried to make himself as useful as possible, and while he wasn't the best mechanic, he was a fast learner and was adequate enough to be trusted with simple repairs that he and Padme didn't have time for.

"I think we should probably wait to address that after we have landed, just in case," Obi-Wan said carefully so as not to insult the boy. "We have discovered that fixing one electrical issue sometimes cascades into other issues after that," he said as he remembered trying to fix a simple flickering light, only to have somehow overloaded the air output system and created a giant cold spot in the middle of the ship. Luke's whining over the cold in one of the few areas of the ship where he was allowed had nearly driven him to just throw himself out of an airlock. "We shall be at our destination in about an hour, so I suggest that we all go ahead and get ourselves looking presentable."

"That sounds like a great idea, Ben," Padme said. "I need to make sure that this hair color is rinsed out completely. I'd hate to have stains show up on my tunic during a crucial moment during our meeting." She had dyed her hair a similar non-descript brown to match Obi-Wan's new hair color more closely. If they were going to be posing still as brother and sister, then they needed to make some more effort to make it believable. They had decided to keep the sibling dynamic going so as not to confuse Luke and have him blurt something out that contradicted any new story they could have concocted. They were still working on changing certain details so as not to be traced back to the family on Dantooine, if anyone asked, but those were the kinds of things that a four year old didn't pay attention to anyway.

Obi-Wan raised one eyebrow at Han who merely looked down at his simple tunic and pants and shrugged. Obi-Wan leveled his best glare at him and looked pointedly at the grease stains that were prominently displayed across his belly and Han relented with a huff, stomping off dramatically as he went. Han absently ruffled Luke's hair as he passed him in the hall. Luke smiled widely and ran up to Obi-Wan: "Uncle Ben! Petey found another mouse! Can we throw it out the airlock?" he asked excitedly. This had become Luke's new favorite game - following Petey around as he found critters on the ship and then disposing of them via the airlock.

"Are you sure we should take every meal away from him?" Obi-Wan asked with some amusement. "Let's let him enjoy this catch for a while. If he hasn't eaten it after we've changed your tunic and brushed your hair, then we can throw it out of the airlock. Deal?"

Luke pouted with disappointment for a second but relented. "Ok," he said as he picked at his tunic, which still had remains from his last meal on it. His fine motor skills still needed some work when it came to eating noodles. "Is that where Han went?" he asked as he nodded towards where Han had left. Luke had a serious case of hero worship when it came to the newest addition to their little "family".

"Yes, he did. As did your mother," Obi-Wan said as he took Luke's hand and led him to the crew quarters he had claimed. Padme and Luke were sharing the captain's cabin and Han had taken the other crew quarter. However, owing to lack of space, Obi-Wan had agreed to keep both his and Luke's meager wardrobe in his quarters. He walked in and saw that Padme had already been in there and laid out a simple blue tunic for Luke to wear on the bottom bunk. The top bunk was currently being used as clothing storage until they either found an appropriate or clean space to use on the ship.

"How come we gotta change clothes? Are they fancy people?" Luke asked as Obi-Wan removed his current tunic and made sure none of the foodstuffs had gone through the fabric and onto his skin.

"No, they're not inordinately fancy," Obi-Wan replied as he jiggled the top of the tunic in an exaggerated manner over Luke's head to the boy's giggles. "It's just." An arm was now pulled through and shaken. "Rude." Another arm pulled through and shaken. "To be unkempt when meeting friends," he finished as he shook the tunic all the way down to cover the giggling boy's belly.

"We didn't have to clean up before," Luke said as he tried to dart away from the brush that was coming towards him.

"Well, that was different. We were farming and we rarely went anywhere now, did we?" Obi-Wan said as he wrestled Luke and trapped him between his thighs. Luke shook his head and tried to duck the brush to no avail. "That looks much better. Your mother might even be willing to claim you as her son in public now," he said as he released Luke. "Don't you dare!" he admonished with a glare as Luke threatened to run his hands through his hair and mess it up with an impish smile. Luke giggled again and then scampered off to check if his pet had consumed his catch.

Obi-Wan shook his head fondly. He hated to admit it, but he had definitely gotten attached to Luke. Things were occasionally shaky with Padme still, but he figured he was attached to her as well, just not as strongly yet. He didn't know about how he would feel about Han, but he had started to get used to the boy whose attitude was reminiscent of Anakin's at times. _And that is_ _ **not**_ _why I brought him along_ , he thought to himself. _The Force said that he was important, there's_ _ **no**_ _other reason_. He sighed and went to change his own tunic, which Padme had picked out for him as well. He wondered if this was how Anakin and Padme's married moments had been and felt a stab of guilt when he realized that he had probably spent more time with Padme in the last year than Anakin had in the entirety of their three year marriage. He shook himself from those thoughts as he went back towards where he knew Luke was and tried not to think of how useful Anakin would be for all the mechanical issues their ship had.

He knelt down next to the little boy who was looking on in horrified fascination as the cat was finishing up the remains of his meal. "Well, looks like he was hungry after all," he said as he tried to ignore the sounds of crunching bones. "Aren't you glad we didn't throw away his snack now?"

"Yeah, I guess," Luke said distractedly, still entranced by the macabre display of raw nature in front of him.

"How about you come with me and help me fly this ship, hmm?" Obi-Wan suggested to Luke's immediate delight.

Padme smiled as her son bounded past her to the cockpit with bright eyes and a wide grin, followed by a cleaned up Obi-Wan with a fond look on his face. "Lively little thing that he is," he said as he sauntered past. Her heart warmed at how Obi-Wan had thawed out over time. She knew that he was not Luke's father, nor would he ever want to be, but she was glad of his presence now. She had wondered about having a strong and good male influence in Luke's life and couldn't think of anyone better. She eyed Han in her peripheral vision as he tugged on his new tunic as he made his way to the cockpit as well. While she had initially wondered what Obi-Wan had been thinking in bringing Han aboard, she had gotten used to his presence rather quickly, abrasive as it could be at times. Luke already adored him, and he was remarkably patient with her little son, which was especially helpful when she and Obi-Wan were busy and couldn't necessarily devote any attention to him. Besides, it looked like Han could use a good male _and_ female influence in his life.

"I need everyone to strap in, as we will be reverting to realspace soon," Obi-Wan announced. She broke from her musings and went to the copilot's seat after ensuring that both boys were strapped in tightly. Han scowled, but she knew that he secretly enjoyed having someone fuss over him. She wondered when the last time anyone had done so, but decided not to dwell on that at the moment as the lines of hyperspace dissolved.

Han whistled lowly at the frigate in front of them - a Mon Cal design. They had agreed to meet with Bail outside of Alderaan and at the coordinates he had given them without questioning why they would be sitting in the middle of space with no systems nearby. They were hailed and Padme entered the codes that they had been given. They were tractored in and she chanced a look at Luke's wide eyed and open mouthed face.

Padme smiled and then looked ahead as she steeled herself to meet with the man who had been raising her daughter for her entire four years of life so far.


	30. Chapter 30

Padme and Obi-Wan were shocked to see not just Bail Organa, but Mon Mothma there to receive them. _If Mon hadn't already known about my survival, then she's doing an excellent job in hiding her shock_ , Padme thought as she schooled her face into her best Senatorial mask.

"Padme, Master Kenobi, it is so good to see you again," Mon Mothma stated with clear joy in her eyes. Obi-Wan ignored Han's raised eyebrows and hoped that Luke had not picked up on the Senator's use of Padme's given name. "And who have we here?" she gestured to Han and Luke, who was hiding shyly behind his mother and biting his thumb.

"This is Han Solo, from Corellia. He has recently joined us," Padme said diplomatically as he came forward awkwardly to shake the hand of the fanciest person he had probably ever seen. "And this is my son, Luke," she said as she gently pulled him forward by the hand.

"It is so very nice to meet you," Mon said as she knelt down to be on the boy's eye level. "I'm an old friend of your mother's and am very happy to get to know you as well," she said with a warm smile. Luke smiled shyly at her and then offered his hand as well as he ducked his head into his mother's side. Mon winked at him and then made meaningful eye contact with Padme. Padme wondered if she knew about Leia as well, or if she had even been told about Luke in the first place.

Bail stepped forward and clasped Han's hand. "I'm sure that there's a very interesting story here regarding how you came to be in this group," he said as he looked at Padme who just shrugged and cocked her head in Obi-Wan's direction. Han merely smiled sheepishly and nodded, at a loss for words - which was a first for Padme and Obi-Wan since they had met him. Bail then knelt down in front of Luke and gave him a warm smile. "I'm also an old friend of your mother's. I was there when you were born," he smiled again when Luke's eyes widened. "You have grown quite a bit since I last saw you. I was the first person to feed you and you threw up on me right after," he said as Luke said "Ew!" and giggled. Padme ignored the twinge of jealousy that shot through her heart at that fact.

"Speaking of food," he said as he straightened up. "I'm sure that you've had a long journey and would probably like some sustenance before we discuss anything."

Luke and Han lit up, Luke nodding very enthusiastically. Obi-Wan snorted, "That will always be a popular choice of activity for these two," he gestured with his thumb at the boys ignoring the "Hey!" from an apparently insulted Han.

As they went further into the ship towards the meeting rooms where the food was, Padme found herself dragging Luke along as he stared at everything with wonder. She looked to Obi-Wan and saw him shepherding Han on occasion. She was glad that this was not an official meeting of any sort as she was sure they were not coming across as professional in any way. She caught Mon Mothma fighting a smile out of the corner of her eye a few times and sighed internally. She was a far cry from what she had been like the last time they had seen each other.

Once they had been seated and the food was in front of them, the atmosphere lightened up some, with Bail and Mon looking on in horrified amusement at Han's eating manners. Padme cleared her throat and he stared at her blankly before he resumed shoveling food in his mouth. She shot each of her hosts an apologetic look and shot a hand out to catch a piece of bread that Luke had knocked off of the table with his elbow. She put it back on his plate, _where it belonged_ , as nonchalantly as possible.

Once the food had been consumed and she had wiped a fidgety Luke's face, Bail cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you boys would like a tour of the ship? Captain Antilles is willing to show you around - providing you follow instructions and don't touch anything."

Han's eyes popped open: "You bet. I'll be on my best behavior," he vowed, acting like he'd been given the greatest opportunity ever. Which, sadly, Padme reflected, might be the truth. Luke was a little more hesitant to go with a stranger, but after seeing Han's excitement and how easily he got along with Captain Antilles, he agreed to go along.

Once the boys had vacated the room, Mon Mothma smiled at Bail and signalled for him to begin. "First of all, I'd like to thank you both for agreeing to meet us here. Second, I'd like to assuage any fears you might have had. I know that you have had a tough few days lately, what with a close brush with the Empire, but our meeting here is for a _good_ reason."

Padme's shoulders relaxed some and she felt immediate relief from the release of tension in her body. She saw Obi-Wan do the same in her peripheral vision. Mon Mothma picked up from where Bail had left off: "Seeing as how the Emperor and Vader have destabilized the Empire already, we are capitalizing on their current weakness and moving forward with building an Alliance against the Empire. We are hoping to get several ships and other resources together so that we may start to move against them," she said with shining eyes.

Padme's stomach dropped - this was not something she was comfortable with. "We'd be most honored if you could join us in the beginning stages and help us with your valuable field and diplomatic experience, respectively," Bail said as he leaned forward across the table, his excitement palpable.

"Are we sure that this is a wise course of action?" Obi-Wan asked before he could stop himself. "I know that it might seem as though the Empire has made a terrible misstep, but I don't believe that the general public is ready for another war. That is why the Emperor has lost some popularity recently - they are afraid of another war - with the Hutts, no less."

"I understand your concerns, General Kenobi," Mon Mothma said and ignored his grimace at her use of his old title. "However, we feel that it is best to strike now before the cruelty and tyranny of the Empire can extend any further than it already has. It does not seem _right_ to me to let people suffer, or try not try to keep further suffering from occurring if we can help it. It may not be popular immediately, but it is _necessary_ to bring back democracy and justice. The Empire is a totalitarian regime, and lack of effort on our part to remove it from existence is _immoral_ ," she declared passionately.

Padme stared in shock, at a loss for words at the moment. The part of her that had been a public servant for most of her life wanted to join in immediately and fix everything that had gone so wrong, especially given the part she had played in the entire fiasco. On the other hand, she wanted nothing to do with it precisely because of the part she had played in it. But her motherly instincts were stronger and she knew that she could not endanger her son by openly going against the Empire. If Palpatine or Vader got wind of her continued existence, let alone Luke's, there would never be a moment where they were not being hunted down.

"We wouldn't ask you to take any role you wouldn't be comfortable with," Bail added when the silence became too prolonged. "You don't have to go public - but your presence would be a morale-booster, at the very least, for the Rebellion."

"Senator," Obi-Wan began, then cleared his throat before continuing again, "I will always be indebted to you for your kindness and willingness to risk your life to safeguard us. However, I do not believe that having a Jedi would be of any help to you. On the contrary, I believe that there are enough people that feel that even if the Jedi weren't traitors, at the very least we failed to prevent the Empire from coming to be in the first place. I believe that knowledge of any Jedi affiliation with your Rebellion would be more of a detriment to you at this point in time," he finished sadly.

"Surely you can't actually _believe_ that," Mon Mothma said, crestfallen. "No one has suffered more than the Jedi at the Emperor's hand. There are many who feel that you were scapegoated and targeted for elimination in order for Palpatine to sweep into power unopposed."

"Senator, I _do_ believe that there are people who believe as you say," Obi-Wan said carefully. "But I don't think there are enough of them in the Galaxy as a whole who will look upon involvement that _any_ Jedi may have with the Rebellion in a positive manner."

Mon Mothma pursed her lips and leaned back with steepled fingers. Clearly this had not been the reaction she had been anticipating from the two of them. Padme sighed and decided to voice her opinion: "I too feel that the time is premature to move against Palpatine. Right now, the people who are suffering the most are non-humans, primarily, and any humans that are caught up as a result tend to be the poor and marginalized. Neither of those groups have elicited sympathy from the wider Galaxy. In fact, the racism and bigotry seems to have been embraced wholeheartedly by the Core human population. I fear that until _they_ start to be affected, that they will only defend the Empire further, since they are benefiting at the moment from the status quo."

"By _then_ it may well be too late!" Mon Mothma slapped her hands on the table in frustration. Padme jumped, as she had never seen her fellow Senator lose control in such a manner.

"Please just consider it, at the very least," Bail interjected before the situation got any more heated. "You don't have to decide right away. Take some time and let us know what you want to do and we will work with you in any capacity that we can."

Mon Mothma thinned her lips and nodded once, relenting for a bit, yet still upset over their reticence. Padme didn't need the Force to know that Mon was thinking of her as being weakened due to her child. But, if she couldn't handle taking care of her son, then who was she to try to take care of a Rebellion, let alone an entire Galaxy? She had already failed on that score anyway. She already knew that Obi-Wan felt the same way regarding his own situation. However, former Senator and diplomat that she was, she felt that she couldn't just leave her stalwart friends and fellow philosophical travelers in the lurch. "We shall discuss our options and let you know our decision, then. Thank you for letting us know of your plans," she finished sincerely.

"Thank you for coming. It is truly good to see you are both alive and well," Mon Mothma said as she rose gracefully and left the room.

Bail gave them a sheepish look, "My apologies if my colleague upset you in any way. She is most passionate, as you have most likely already ascertained." At their nods, he continued, "I truly mean it - you would be most valuable to our effort. I shall respect whatever decision you come to," he said as he made eye contact with each of them in turn. Bail Organa rose and straightened his robe front. "I had better go speak with her and make sure that everything is alright. I shall have Captain Antilles bring your charges back here as well."

"Thank you, Bail," Padme said with a warm smile for him. Bail merely nodded once and left the room. Complete silence descended upon them after the door swished shut, as both Padme and Obi-Wan were lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Obi-Wan chanced a look at Padme. "What are your thoughts?"

"I have a very bad feeling about this," she replied honestly. "I think they are moving too quickly. I forgot how much of a bubble Coruscant itself can be and I hope that they don't bring ruin upon themselves by moving against Palpatine too soon."

"Sadly, I must concur with you. I say we give it a few more days' worth of digesting and then see if our initial reactions still hold," he said as he trailed off. "The boys are on their way back."

"Well, then I suggest we remember that our decisions must be made with them in mind," Padme said as the door swished open and her son rushed in to give her a hug and breathlessly tell her about all the amazing things he had just seen. She pushed his messy bangs out of his eyes and kissed his forehead as he babbled on almost nonsensically. Han was caught between laughing at the little boy's exuberance and embarrassment over his behaviour. Obi-Wan took in the scene before him and knew that while neither of the boys had been mentioned during their discussion, their well-being would be paramount. Oh, he'd still wait the requisite two days before giving the Senators their answer, but he already knew what it was going to be. As he made eye contact with Padme, he knew what hers was already.


	31. Chapter 31

"Kriffing gross," Han Solo said as he took the remains of the half-eaten rodent he had stepped on and threw it out of the airlock. He wasn't fond of Petey, and he had a feeling that Ben wasn't either, but the feline did take care of the rodent problem. He had left Ben in the cockpit to muse to himself about the next best destination for them, as the original choice of Anchoron had proven to not be as desirable as they had assumed. He had an idea as to why they were on the move, but he knew he wouldn't get a straight answer out of "Ben".

Han wiped his hands thoroughly clean and went in search of "Anna", who he thought would be more likely to at least give him an answer closer to the truth than the little crumbs he had gotten indirectly from Ben. He stopped in the hallway outside of the living quarters, where he could hear her telling the little guy a bedtime story.

"...and then they lived happily ever after," Padme said as she petted Luke's hair.

"So, the princess saved the prince?" Luke asked in disbelief.

"That's right. The _girl_ saved the boy," Padme said smugly. She wondered if Luke would argue such a possibility, given that most of the children's stories had the roles reversed in most cultures.

"She was cool," he said appreciatively. "Like you, Mommy. Like when the pirates got us, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," she said, touched that he thought _she_ was cool. She wondered how long that would last. She hoped it would be until at least his teenage years.

"Can you tell me another story?" he asked with a yawn.

"Hmm, it would have to be a short one," she said as she ran her fingernails lightly over his hairline.

"But a _good_ one," Luke said, eyes already starting to droop.

"There once was a little boy that didn't like going to sleep," she began, knowing that he was fading fast. "But his mommy knew how to tell him stories that made him have sweet dreams." She paused for a moment and watched his breathing, his eyes were already closed, but he wasn't quite asleep. "Mommy thought that she was like the princess once, you know? She thought she could save the boy. But it turned out that her love wasn't enough, and the boy was lost. But he gave her her little boy - her little Prince - and that one she was able to save," she said softly and kissed Luke's cheek. "And mommy is going to make sure that she keeps him as safe as she can so that he never gets lost or needs to get saved."

Padme tucked Luke in further and petted Petey goodnight where he lay at the foot of the small bunk. She sighed and made her way out of the room, leaving it open just a crack so that there would be room for Petey to squeeze out if he needed to. She turned and almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Han standing quietly in the corridor.

"Sorry," he said rather embarrassedly. "Didn't mean to scare ya."

"It's ok, Han," she said with a small smile after her heart finally climbed down from her throat. "Do you need something?"

Han debated asking her outright, but decided to be delicate instead - which was a stretch for him, and he had no shame in admitting it. "Can we talk somewhere where the little guy won't wake up?"

"Sure," she said and led him towards the cargo bay, assuming whatever he had to ask needed to be done away from Obi-Wan as well. She hoped it wasn't something puberty-related, as she was _not_ ready for that kind of thing yet.

Once they were in a secluded area she folded her arms due to the cold and waited him out. Han shuffled his feet for a few seconds and then blurted: "Ben's a Jedi, right? I'm pretty sure he's General Kenobi. I realized who he was when we were eating and then I followed him to the store and saw him buying the hair dyes, so I knew it was him then. He's on the run and changed his hair and got rid of the beard, but I still knew it was him."

Padme's face betrayed nothing, but she wondered how Obi-Wan had missed that Han had guessed his identity so early on. Or, if he'd known all along and decided to let Han tag along rather than leave him as a loose end. Either way, she wondered how many other people had recognized either Obi-Wan or herself and said nothing. "I'm pretty sure you have to be important too - but I don't think you're a Jedi. I mean, we met with those fancy Senators and all. And those weren't no Imperial ships either," he rambled through the tense silence, breaking her from her musings.

"Yes, he is General Kenobi. Only he doesn't go by that name anymore, for obvious reasons," Padme said carefully. She wondered why he was asking her and not Obi-Wan, but then again, Obi-Wan was the master of being as indirect as possible. For a man who had professed disliking politicians as much as he had, he was an expert in speaking like one.

"You're not a Jedi," he asked, but it was more of a statement.

"No, I am not," she said truthfully, but went no further.

"What about the little guy?" Han cocked his head in the direction of the living quarters.

"No, he isn't either." She didn't elaborate on Luke's father or his Force-sensitivity. As far as she was concerned, what little training he had received did not qualify him as a Jedi, and he would not be trained as one for as long as she had a say in it. Especially since Obi-Wan still abided by the wretched Code, even if he had been more lax about it in the past year.

"How come you and the little guy are running then, if you're not Jedi? How come you're with Ben?" Han asked suspiciously.

"You certainly are a tenacious one," Padme said as she was reminded of Anakin when he had caught onto something. "I don't think it would be a good idea to tell you who I was just yet, for your safety," she said honestly. "But, the reason we are with Ben is that he is protecting us."

"Huh," Han said. "Didn't see that one coming, but it makes sense."

"Anything else you would like to know?" She asked with an arched eyebrow, amused in spite of herself.

"No, guess that's really it. But, I dunno about all that drama about my _safety_ ," he groused.

"I'm sure that you think that I am deliberately keeping information from you," he nodded. "But, trust me when I say that it is absolutely positively for your own good that you don't know. What you don't know can't be _taken_ or _used_ against you," she said in all seriousness.

Han gulped as he saw the haunted look in her eyes and decided to drop asking any further about her or Luke. He had heard the saying not to anger Mama Wookies, and he thought he was walking perilously close to that line. "I believe you," he said as he tried to put on his cool persona again. "Thanks for bein' honest," he said as he toed the floor in front of him, hands in his pockets.

"You're welcome, Han," Padme said with a warm smile.

"One more thing," Han said as if he'd suddenly remembered something. "I know the cat takes care of the vermin, but can you get it to stop leavin' the leftovers all over the place? It's nasty."

Padme blinked for a minute then laughed. "Good luck with that, dear. We've tried already. We just throw the bodies out of the airlock if he didn't finish them. At least he kills them, and that's all we can ask for."

"That's what I was afraid you'd say," he said resignedly. "I hope the furball's got all his shots though."

"He does. We got his immunizations taken care of when we were living on Dantooine," Padme reassured him. "However," she said as she appraised Han, "can we say the same about you?"

Han's eyes widened as he realized that he had laid a trap for himself. "Uh, well," he stammered.

"I'm going to take that as a no," Padme said as she sighed and crossed her arms. "Wherever we end up deciding to stay, we will get that taken care of," she promised grimly.

"Nah, y'know? It's ok. I'm tough. I don't get sick easy," he protested.

"I'm sure. But I'd rather not risk it. We forgot Luke's immunizations and he got very very ill," Padme said shuddering at the memory of that terrible night. "And the last thing I want is any of us getting sick and having to stop somewhere that might be full of Imperials or Hutts, _especially_ with Ben being so at risk," she said, hoping that that would guilt Han at the very least.

"Yes ma'am," Han said as he realized that he wasn't going to get out of this one. While he outwardly resented it, on the inside he was glad that these people cared about him. No one had ever cared about his health before, except to make sure that he didn't alert his marks with a cough or sniffle before he could pick their pockets clean.

"Good," Padme said as she squeezed his forearm. "I'm going to see if Ben needs any help with anything and then turn in. Good night, Han."

"Night, ma'am," Han said to her retreating back. While he wasn't sure about what kind of intrigue these people were into, he really didn't care. He just knew that he was glad that he had managed to get _The_ General Kenobi to take him under his wing. The guys back home had no idea, but he found that he didn't even care if they never found out. He just hoped that he wouldn't suddenly wake up and find out that his new life had been nothing but a dream.


	32. Chapter 32

Padme woke with a start. She had been screaming at Anakin about how he had ruined everything in their lives while her teenaged daughter, who looked like her and didn't look like her, witnessed the exchange with sad and shocked eyes. A sleepy sniffle and a shuffle next to her brought her back to reality - she was in a hotel room in Bespin. Bespin, yes, _Bespin_. They had stopped for hyperdrive repairs on Bespin after it had started to make an ominous whining noise. Her son was four years old, going on five - _not_ a teenager. And Anakin was no longer Anakin, and he was most certainly not whole anymore - she _knew_ what his injuries had been and had seen the suit he was encased in. Leia was safe on Alderaan - she was Princess Leia Organa, and Dorme had promised _on her life_ to see to it that she was safe.

Padme shuddered involuntarily. _Why_ had she dreamt of Anakin? She hadn't dreamt of him in months. And why had Leia been there with him? She tried to shake the mental cobwebs, the sticky remnants of her dreams that were stubbornly clinging for no other reason than to torture her. Luke shifted again in his sleep and she felt his head dig painfully into her collarbone. Padme lay further down, so as to be in a more horizontal position, and Luke settled in with a sigh, now that her collarbone wasn't protruding anymore. She looked down at her little boy, his mouth fallen halfway open to reveal teeth that were remarkably similar to her own. She kissed his forehead and rubbed his back, soothing herself more than anything.

She looked around the small hotel room once her eyes had adjusted to the dark. She took in a deep breath and let it out - waking up disoriented was never a pleasant experience. Her dream had seemed so vivid, and _real_. Padme bit her lip and wondered just how hellish Anakin's experiences must have been if his dreams were even half that vivid, given the frequency of them. She fought back tears at that thought - he had still taken actions that were unconscionable on her behalf, _without_ her consent. She could feel all the sympathy in the universe for him, but that did not excuse the course of action taken.

Padme heard a snore from the other side of her thin wall, and recognized it as Han's. She smiled to herself - he could snore like a Wookie when tired, and he most certainly was now that he had gotten his immunizations. They had managed to get Han some forged identification documents, one of Bespin's many unadvertised but commonly known services. They had tried searching for any family or clue of his parents, but Han had somehow never been registered with either the Republic or Imperial database. Han had shrugged as if to say _told you so_ , and she and Obi-Wan had exchanged a look. Luke most certainly wasn't registered, but it was for entirely different reasons. Her heart ached for Han at that moment and she wondered if Obi-Wan hadn't been proud of him for taking such a Jedi-like approach to the situation.

Obi-Wan and Han got along famously. She had spied them sitting in the cockpit with Obi-Wan giving Han instructions on how to pilot. She had to admit, Han was a natural. The similarities to Anakin both hurt her heart and caused her to smile at the same time - a strange mixture of emotions that she supposed would follow her throughout the rest of her life. Padme kept her thoughts to herself, but she suspected that Obi-Wan took Han on since he reminded him of Anakin. Perhaps he felt that he could save this boy, where he had failed with Anakin. There would also not be the crushing devastation wrought on the Galaxy were Han to ever go into a rage, given that he was not a Force-user. Either way, she had noticed that Obi-Wan's spirits had picked up considerably since they had added Han to their "family".

Her thoughts kept going in circles, coming back to Anakin again and again. She wondered why her mind had decided to pull this stunt on her at this particular moment in time. Padme kept wondering what Anakin would have thought of Han - would he have seen the similarities between themselves? Would he have been irritated or amused? She kept picturing Luke as he followed Han around whenever possible, peppering him with questions. She wondered if he would have been a Daddy's boy and followed Anakin around everywhere as well. She also wondered just what kind of father Anakin would have been, and couldn't separate his turn from the Dark Side from _him_ anymore. She wondered if he would have hit Luke for whining. Or Leia? What would he have done with her? Spoiled her rotten? Or, given that from what little she knew of her own daughter that she did have his fiery temper, would he have choked her in a rage? Those thoughts would not leave her - after all, she had thought that he would never hurt _her_ at one point in time.

A cold little foot curling into her thigh made her take a sharp breath and leave her morbid train of thought. She would need to go shopping for a new set of night clothes for Luke. He had outgrown his beloved Froggy pajamas. She had toyed with finding another set, only to have caught Luke in tears in their room on the Falcon after Han had laughed at them. She sighed and supposed that they would have to do with something less childish. She loathed the idea of her son growing up on her, but she knew that it was inevitable. Her heart ached at the thought of her Leia, and how she had still yet to meet her beautiful girl. She sniffled at the thought that it might not be until she was a proper teenager that they might meet, if ever. She wondered how Leia and Han would have gotten along. Somehow, she doubted that Leia would have shed a single tear over Han's mocking of her wardrobe choices.

Padme cuddled her son closer and leaned her head on his, inhaling the sweet smell of baby shampoo. She had not seen her son in her dream - but he had been there. The few nice aspects of it had been that they had been living somewhere near water, and that her son had been out enjoying himself in the ocean while she was berating his wayward father. Padme sighed and resolved to find some place where there was water for them to be near. She loved water, Han did as well, given that he was from Corellia, and after his initial apprehension - Luke loved it. She didn't know how Obi-Wan felt about water, but she figured that three out of four would win the argument, if it came to it. She could practically hear the surf, waves breaking on the sand, warm salty air filling her lungs and making her eyes water slightly. She smiled as she relaxed and sank back into sleep.

"I must say, I can't remember the last time I was able to sit at a proper eatery and not worry about people staring at me," Padme mused aloud as she pushed her empty plate away. She didn't know if it was their new hair colors, Bespin's cultural atmosphere, or a combination of both - but it seemed that people didn't pay them any mind. Everyone went about their own business. There were a few smugglers to be seen, but no one seemed to be in the mood to rob anyone else there. It was reminiscent of Tattooine in a way - but light years more civilized.

"I'd say that this is an agreeable change of circumstances for once," Obi-Wan remarked as he moved Luke's glass of juice from its precarious placement near the edge of the table. "I also hope that you didn't just jinx us."

Padme wrinkled her nose in response. Before she could retort, Han ambled up to the table and sat down heavily in his previously vacated chair. "Good news," he said as he threw an arm lazily over the back of his chair. "The repairs should be done by tomorrow mid-morning at the latest."

"That _is_ good news," Obi-Wan said as he winked at Luke, who attempted to wink back, only to squinch both eyes shut at once. Luke covered his mouth as he giggled, trying to keep his overstuffed mouth from leaking its contents. Padme smiled and shook her head.

"Thank you, Han," she told him sincerely. She had dreaded speaking to the mechanics - she always feared that they would try to tell her that there was something else that needed work done. She was mildly competent with mechanics, but she didn't know enough to know when she was being taken advantage of in that realm. Han's natural aptitude for mechanics had been a welcome surprise for both Obi-Wan and herself.

"Where to next, then?" Han asked with barely concealed excitement. He honestly did seem to be most at home on a ship flying through the stars.

"I am strongly considering Anchoron again," Obi-Wan said as he swept crumbs from the table onto his empty plate. "It is not widely patrolled by the Empire, is in the Outer Rim, and is not experiencing any upheaval or protests." What was left unsaid between the adults was that there had been no previous Jedi Enclaves or extensive presence there. Lothal had been eliminated as a destination for that reason even before the planet's decision to formally join the Empire.

"Which means no Imperial presence expected in the near future," Padme finished for him.

"Correct. It is also a very _civilized_ system, where the people are renowned for their good manners," Obi-Wan said with a twinkle in his eye. Padme knew that he missed Coruscant as much as she did. It would have to do for now. However, something told Padme that it might be longer than their stay on Dantooine. She had already forgotten about most of her dream, but the one thing that still stood out vividly for her had been the impression of water. Whether any of it was real or the work of the Force, she didn't care - she was ready for a change for the better.


End file.
